Madness Can Set Us Free
by HarleyPudding
Summary: When a plan goes terribly wrong, it's time for Harley to decide between the madness or her freedom. The choice seems simple enough, but her world will be turned upside down when a mysterious man with an eyepatch comes to her with a bold proposition. (Feel free to send me reviews, they are always appreciated!)
1. Chapter 1

_Well... this is my first Fanfic ever! So, if you guys find it boring or stupid, pleeeease forgive me! You can send me reviews letting me know if you want me to continue the story. I think it's going to be quite exciting!_

 _Also, I_ _ **do not**_ _ **own**_ _Marvel_ _ **or**_ _it's character and I also_ _ **do not**_ _ **own**_ _DC Comics_ _ **or**_ _it's characters._

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1: Beggining of the End**

The trap was set. This time they would actually succeed, and then, everything would be just perfect, at last. She could start their wedding plans, looking for Honey Moon destinations and, on their way back, maybe buy an even bigger Amusement Park, where they could raise their five children. It sounded too perfect to be true. Actually, coming to think of it, maybe it wasn't perfect. Maybe, just maybe, it could be simply _madness_. And to top it all off, it didn't even make any sense! How could there be a future with one of the most dangerous and deranged man she has ever met? She could hear the water running from the dam nearby as she tied the knots on the set of ropes, still lost in her thoughs.

"Have you finished with the ropes, stupid?" She jumped at the sound of that 'oh so' familiar voice. Like thunder crashing against her ears. Never gentle, never caring, just intimidating and, most of the time, threatening.

"I'm on it, Pudding!" Harley tried to keep calm, she was nervous enough, and getting him upset would just make things worse.

"Then hurry up! When the Bat gets here we have to be ready!" He yelled as he smacked the side of her face, not even bothering looking at her.

"I'm sorry Pudding, I'm doing it as fast as I can! Don't get angry with me." Harley pleaded. But it wasn't like the other times. She felt pathetic. Empty. But above all, she was furious. How dare he smack her face like that? Who does he thinks he is?

A loud sound caused Harley to interrupt her thoughts, as the huge caped figure bursted into the abandoned building. She figured it would take him longer to get there, considering they were set on the top floor. Hell, what was she thinking? This is Batman they're dealing with here.

"Where are the hostages Joker?" He asked calmly, but Harley knew he could break every bone on their bodies to get the answer he needed.

"Oh Bats, you're no fun at all! You arrived earlier than expected! Talk about a party pooper! **HAHAHAHAHA!** " The clown laughed at his own "joke". Normally, Harley would have laughed along, not just to please him, but because she also though it was pretty funny. Only, it wasn't funny anymore. Hell, it never had been. Where had she been during all this time? Where did her mind went?

"I won't ask again." The caped man gave his final warning.

"Well, I could point you all of the exact locations, tell you exactly what kind of traps I set for you on your way there, even tell you all the passwords combinations. But, where's the fun in that? We both know you like it the hardest way possible! It is, after all, what keeps your job so interesting! **HAHAHAHAHA!** "

"There are no hostages." Harley was surprised as those words came out of her mouth. "It was just a trap we set for ya to fall right into. Apparently, it worked. Yay." The sarcastic tone of her words seemed to have triggered a wave of emotions, thoughts and feelings. Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of the gun shot echoed trhough the room. The big bad Bat was down, she could see the blood coming out of his chest. Harley felt confused, but victorious at the same time. It didn't last very long, as she saw the gun being held at her face next. She started to back up, stopping as her body touched a table with some tools, her hands behind her back, grabbing the first tool she could reach.

"You're really breaking my heart here, toots. This was supposed to be important. It was my big night and you **ruined it!** How dare you stand here, smack-talking like you could have the _last laugh?_ " His eyes were wide open, the madness emanating from them almost freezing her. But she wasn't afraid. For the first time, Harley felt sure of what to do. He was about to pull the trigger as she knocked him down with a crowbar. At least her reflexes were quick enough.

The Joker fell down, the gun flying away from his hand. He quickly started to rise, but Harley was faster. She kicked his face and then his chest. When she turned around to beat him to a pulp, he held her foot, causing her to fall in her stomach. Just like with the gun, the crowbar flew away from her hand. Harley turned around to face the monster inside of her head. His wide grin was now dripping blood because of her kick, and it made him look crazier than usual. He punched her face, as he climbed on top of her. He was about to place his hands on her throat, but she saw it coming. Using her head as the only available weapon, Harley hit him hard, disorienting the clown. The pain in her forehead was intense, but she didn't care. Harley kicked his face again, harder this time, causing him to crash against the window. She started to drag herself towards the corner of the room, reaching for the gun. Grabbing it, Harley walked towards his unconscious body, a wicked look in her eyes. She was ready. She knew what to do. She wanted to do it. She wanted **badly**.

"Harleen, stop!" She turned her head to find the injured Bat standing a few feet from her, holding one of his batarangs, aiming for the weapon in her hand.

"Or what?" Harley asked, challenging him. "We both know ya not going to kill me." She moved the gun to her head.

"Don't!" He yelled. Harley simply stood there, staring at him with a silly grin on her face. The safety was already off; she could just end that right now. She was so tired of all that. Of them. The sound of water from the dam getting louder, almost as a calling.

Harley started to walk backwards, the gun still on her head, her finger still on the trigger and her eyes still on the Batman. The idea was already in her mind when she saw the partially broken window. It was now or never. Taking a deep breath and trusting in her reflexes, Harley fired against the Joker and then jumped through the broken glass. She felt the sting of the batarang in her arm, but it was already too late. She was falling slowly, the water running down, welcoming her to dive in. Harley felt free, almost as she could start flapping her imaginary wings, flying away from all that. The water was closer now. She closed her eyes as the darkness swallowed her body, dragging her deeper and deeper.

* * *

Suddenly, the darkness turned into light. It was so bright, Harley was scared of opening her eyes. Could she be in Heaven, standing right in front of God, about to be judged? Doubtful, not with everything she's done during all those years. Still trying to organize her thoughs, Harley opened her eyes slowly, accustoming them to the brightness. It took a while for the room come to focus. It was a small area, and it was set to look like a functional little hospital. It had an abandoned-ish look to it. She looked around, looking for someone who could tell her what exactly was happening. It wasn't long untill a woman entered the room. Harley figured she was a nurse, as she quickly started to examine her, asking how was she feeling or if anything was hurting. Fisically, Harley was feeling fine. She could handle pain, and has been put through worse after all those years of abuse. When the nurse finished, she pulled a communicator from her pocket.

"Call the Director, tell him she's awake." Harley heard the woman talking through the device. She put it back in her pocket and turned to Harley. "Don't worry, everything will be explained to you in a while. For now, try to relax." The nurse said as she left the room, leaving Harley even more confused than she was right after waking up.

After what felt like an eternity, Harley heard the door opening again, revealing a very intimidating looking man. He was tall, apparently strong and well-respected. His clothes were all black, with a huge jacket that trailed behind him as he walked closer towards her. But the most intriguing feature about that mysterious man was the eyepatch attached to his face, above where his left eye probably was once.

"Hello Miss Quinn. We have a lot to discuss. This may take a while."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: Changes**

"Or should I say... Miss Hogue." The man said, staring at her.

Harley took a while to respond. She was sure she heard the man saying "Miss Quinn" before, but since he called her by another name now, the certain was gone. With a confused look in her face, she questioned the intimidating figure glaring at her.

"I'm sorry sir, but I think ya in the wrong room. There's no one here with that name."

He let out a small laugh and came closer to her bed. At that point, she was starting to consider if they would end up having a fight right there.

"No, you heard it all right. You're exactly who I've been looking for. And now that you're finally here, we can begin."

"Begin what?!" Harley was desperate. What did that man wanted from her? How did he knew her in the first place?

"Your transformation." He said.

"Who are ya, anyway? How the hell did I end up in here in the first place? I'm supposed to be dead right now!"

"You might be glad that you're not, Miss Hogue. It would be a terrible waste to lose someone with your set of skills. Not to mention your lifetime experiences." The man called her that again.

"Ya still haven't answered my question. And why the hell are ya calling me Miss Hogue, anyway?"

"I'm Nicholas Fury. Nick, for short. I'm the Director of a special intelligence organization. We're called S.H.I.E.L.D. We monitor heroes, assist on their missions, keep an eye out for potential threats, and so and so. I'll be surprised if you never heard of us before, especially after the New York invasion."

"Oh, yeah, about that… Let's just say that I didn't had a whole lot of information available at that time. They usually don't let ya near a newspaper when you're locked up in the looney bit!" Harley was starting to get nervous.

"If you never heard of it, well, you're hearing it now. And "Hogue" – he said rapidly, before she could interrupt him - is how you're going to be called from now on. Of course, that is a last name. Your first name is a little easier to remember, Claire."

Harley was mute. That was a lot of information to absorb, and every answer the man gave her created a completely new set of questions in her head. That couldn't be it. It had to have something to do with her criminal file. He was there to arrest her.

"Okay, listen here ya bald pirate, I'm not falling for this, ok? I know exactly what ya doing, and trust me, it ain't gonna work. I'm _not_ going back to that Asylum, ya hear me? _You_ _ain't_ _taking me back_ _to the slammer, John Law!_ " She yelled at the man, not caring if he could knock her out with one hit, especially now that she was stuck in a hospital bed.

"No one is going to take you anywhere without my permission. I assure you that, Miss Hogue. I'm not here to arrest you. On the contrary, I'm here to recruit you as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. As I said before, I could use someone with your abilities. I'm sure we are going to be able to work this out without further complications." Fury had a final tone to his voice and Harley understood the message. However, she didn't know if she could trust him.

"What would ya want from someone like me, huh? Have ya done a little research before coming to me with a job proposition? I'm not a sweetheart, ya know? I'm a monster!"

"Oh, I am aware of your past, Miss Hogue. But that's what that is now: _past_. Your new life begins now. I'm sure you've done bad things, horrible things, even. Some of them, unforgivable. However, we have to look past that, as hard as it might be. We have very well capacitated doctors and therapists that you can talk to, which I'm sure it will be necessary. You've been through a lot. Though you caused a lot of damage, I'm sure you suffered as well. So, what I'm asking is this: are you willing to leave it all behind and use what you have to do some good?"

Harley stopped for a minute, not taking her eyes away from the man. He wasn't there for nothing, and he sure as hell expected her to say yes. It was probably the only answer she should give him. But how could she? Her whole life has been a sequence of bad decisions, each of them leading to a darker path along her way. Would this be just another unfortunate event? Would she be able to work, side by side, with the good guys, the same ones she once fought against?

"What heroes were ya talkin' about, especifically?"

"None of them are from your previous jurisdiction, so you can rest assured. However, I'm sure you heard of them. When the time comes, you'll meet them. Maybe not all of them, but it will open your horizons a bit more."

"But... won't they recognize me? I mean, I've been on the papers a few times, ya know? I've got quite the reputation."

"Your reputation died with you, three weeks ago."

"Was I out all that time? Holy shit!" That was quite a while. "But _waytaminute_... how did you find me anyway? I jumped into the water, it dragged me down, I felt it!"

"That dam happened to be one of S.H.I.E.L.D's hidden bases. We had a few agents working there that night. When they sensed the movement on the near abandoned building, they started to monitor the situation."

"If they were watching, why didn't they do anything when the Bat got shot?" Something was very off.

"You just don't give up, do you?" Fury asked, clearly annoyed. "But I got to say, I admire the fact you are an observer. Maybe you've been underestimated during all this time."

"Yeah, yeah, what about my answer?" If he was trying to keep her off track, he would have to work harder than that. She wasn't going to accept his offer that easy.

"We have a very delicate situation in Gotham city. Though we have a few hidden bases there, we are not supposed to act directly. It was a hell of a fight, especially because of the "Sheriff". When he got shot, our main base was immediately informed, but we told our agents to stand down. His suit apparently didn't spike any signs of life in danger. We figured he could manage it."

"Oh, just like that, right?" Harley snapped her fingers, staring shocked at Fury.

"But when you fired at your boyfriend and then jumped through the window, we knew we had to do something. Batman jumped after you too, but luckily, our agents got to you first.

"So... _Am_ I dead? For real?" She didn't know how to feel at that point. Maybe relieved, maybe joyful. It was what she wanted after all, a _fresh start_. However, she would be in for a whole new circus, with superheroes, secret agents, fights, covers and who knows what else? But that was her only chance. Things have been too good for her just simply throw it away like that.

"Dead and gone. Body never recovered though, but that will have to do it. If we faked your death with an actual body, Batman would want to step in and conduct the damn autopsy himself. We couldn't risk it." It was amazing how they had to think about every little single detail. But then again, Bat-Brain had always been a pain in the ass.

Harley paused for a moment, staring at Fury intensively. "What about _him?_ Is he dead too? Really dead?"

Fury hesitated before answering, which made her feel a knot in her stomach. "We believe it so. After you and Batman jumped, there was an explosion in the building, the very floor you were in. The authorities couldn't determine what caused it. Well, if your aiming wasn't very precise, I believe the fire took care of the problem. No body was found, but that's expected, it was an explosion, after all. However, I'm afraid our agents won't be able to investigate any further due to Batman's individuality when it comes to his city."

Harley sighed, relieved. If he wasn't coming after her, it was already a huge thing. He deserved to burn for everything he's done to her.

The time had come. Fury was waiting for an answer and he wasn't leaving until he got one.

" So… Claire Hogue, huh? Doesn't sound too good to me. Shouldn't I be the one to pick my new name? I have some pretty good ideas already."

"It had to be the name of a deceased, without criminal record and very hard to trace. My agents worked their asses off to find you a nice and secret new identity, so that's what you get." He was about to lose the little bit of patience he still had in him.

"Okay, okay, fine, whatever! However, I also want a normal life to go with this whole "special services" career. I have a degree, ya know?" Harley didin't want to dedicate her entire time to being a SHIELD agent. She wanted a place to lay low, settle in and stay away from the craziness for a while.

"We'll talk about your "career" another time, Miss Hogue. For now, all I wanted from you I already got it. You should get some rest." Fury was about to leave the room, but Harley stopped him.

"Wait! What's gonna happen when I leave this place? I need a house! I was thinking about going back to Brooklyn, ya know? Being a Coney Island Queen and stuff… _whata_ dream!" She clasped her hands, staring dreamily at the ceiling.

"Hey" Fury snapped his fingers, bringing Harley back to Earth "Hold your breath, Miss Hogue. There is no way you're going back to your old neighborhood without raising a lot of suspicions. You're going to lay low in Washington for the time being. And that hair and _specially_ the accent…" There was a pause where Fury studied her angry face for a moment "That's going to have to go, too."

With that being said, before she could protest, Fury left the room, leaving Harley with an urge to throw something at the back of his bald head.

Harley leaned back in her bed, resting her head against the pillow. She stared at the ceiling, absorbing the wave of information that was thrown at her. As her eyelids grew heavier, she wondered about her uncertain future. Washington… that would be quite the change.

* * *

 _Okay, so I take you already know where this is going, but still… More things are soon to happen!_


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: Fitting In**

The next eight months were exhaustive and took its toll on Harley. She barely had any time to herself, between therapy sessions, trainings, and her least favorite of them all: speech therapy. It was hard enough to concentrate on being a whole different person, on top of all, she had to train herself on how to lose her favorite feature: her beloved Brooklyn accent. Not to mention what they did to her hair. It was back to her natural color, a dark browned tone with some curls forming on the bottom. She was barely unrecognizable, which was a good thing for her employees.

SHIELD found her a nice little apartment in Washington, with a good view of the city and pretty close to things she might need: groceries, pharmacy, clothes, and so and so. She hasn't really been on a real mission per say, most of what she was used to do were trainings, sparring and some gymnastics so she wouldn't lose the flexibility of her body. Fury was keeping a close eye on her, with double the effort, since he only had one. That though amused Harley whenever he was around. She got pretty close to Fury; once he made it clear she could trust him. It took a while, but she ended up believing in him. He hasn't given her any reason to think otherwise.

Harley was coming back from her speech therapy. Doctor Russell was very impressed with her progress since their first session. She now had a slightly convincing American accent, save for a few words. She unlocked her apartment door and walked in, dying for a hot shower and a long night of sleep. That desire had to be pushed away though, when she found her boss sitting in her couch, looking very amused at her surprised expression.

"You know, one of these days you're gonna be sorry for breaking into my apartment whenever you feel like it. I might have a gun on me." She teased.

"By the time you pull it out, I'll already be standing behind you with a pistol pointed at your head, Hogue." Fury said, staring at the paintings on the wall.

"We'll have to see about that. What do you want?" She asked with an annoyed tone, walking towards the couch. "Please tell me is something exciting, I think I might die of boredom anytime now. It's not like I got nothing else to do, between therapy and gym classes." She said with a sarcastic tone.

"Well, I would hold my breath if I were you, but there's a chance you'll find this exciting in your own way." Fury said handing her a case filled with documents.

"What's this? Something I need to study for my first official mission?" Harley was very curious about the content of that case. If Fury was there to deliver it in person, it had to be something important.

"That's you resume. Of course, we had to make a few adjustments. It had to be Claire Hogue's impressive resume, not Harleen Quinzel's criminal file." She hated that sarcastic tone Fury used when he referred to her past.

Harley started to read one of the documents, her eyes widening as she went through each line. "But I'm _not_ a nurse! I'm a therapist… sort of." She started to think that was a sick joke.

"Well, you had some experience working at Arkham. You even conducted a few group therapy sessions until, well, _that_ happened." Harley frowned. Fury simply continued. "I'm sure you'll know what to do. I set you up an interview tomorrow morning. Nothing too difficult. It's a very relaxing environment, especially for someone like you."

"How do you expect me to go back to work now? I though you said my therapist didn't think that was a good idea. And where is this job interview, anyway?" Harley was getting seriously irritated. That "he said she said" game wasn't very fun.

"If you actually think I didn't ask your therapist for advice, I'm seriously insulted. And stop yelling so much, woman. It's not like I'm putting you back in a mad house. I don't want to cause you a meltdown, not after all the progresses you've made." If she thought she could intimidate him by raising her voice, he would prove her wrong in a second. "The place is a nursing home. Somewhere you'll be able to work without stress, attending the necessities of elderly citizens. Can't get any better than that, don't you think?" Fury was clearly upset with her lack of appreciation.

Harley sighed, a bit ashamed. "Alright Nick, listen. I'm sorry that I'm sounding like an ungrateful bitch, but… It's not easy for me, okay? I had to give up everything I had, everything I was and now, suddenly, I'm in the obligation of helping people again, something I majorly screwed up in the few attempts I've made. I'm not saying I won't do it, just give me some time to let it sink in." Harley pleaded.

"You have until tomorrow, 9am. The name of the place and the address are in the case." Fury got up and started to make his way to the door.

"Hey, Nick." Harley stopped him. He barely turned his head to the side. "Thank you. I really appreciate all you're doing for me. I won't let you down."

Harley was sure she saw a small smile cross his lips, before he quickly left the apartment, leaving her with a huge pile of papers to study until the next morning. Well, it was sort of a mission, she had to admit. More like a challenge, really. Nothing she couldn't handle with a few more sessions of therapy.

* * *

At 7:30am, Harley jumped out of bed, thanks to her overly loud alarm clock. She took a quick shower, put on a light makeup, tied her up in a bun, put on a pencil skirt, a white-collar shirt and a pair of small-heeled black shoes, grabbed her papers and her coat and marched to the address. On her way there, she kept repeating in her mind everything she studied the night before, especially the made-up parts.

She stood in front of the building, analyzing it for a while, before making her way in. Once inside, Harley walked towards the receptionist. She was a nice looking young girl, with short blonde hair, a few freckles and brown eyes. Harley studied her for a minute before starting to talk. "Hi, my name is Claire Hogue, I have a job interview with doctor…" Harley pulled the little note she made from inside her pocket. "Callaway?"

"Just a moment." The receptionist opened her appointment book, searching Harley's name. "Oh, here it is. _Interview, 9am, Claire Hogue_. Follow me, please. Diana, could you take over for me, it'll be just a minute." The receptionist called another woman who was standing by the counter. "I'm Sarah, by the way. I hope you like it here, if you get the job." The receptionist said, with a smile in her face. Harley simply nodded and smiled back. She was a bit too nervous to start socializing, and she was still repeating the documents in her mind, not even looking at her surroundings.

Sarah led them to a small room, with a white couch and a small coffee table with a few magazines on top. "You can wait here; Dr. Callaway will be right with you. Feel free to read a magazine while you wait. See you later, Miss Hogue. Good luck!" Sarah said, leaving the room. Harley sat at the white couch, directly in front of the door of Dr. Callaway's office.

Instead of the magazines, she read over and over all of her notes and tried to keep calm. After a few minutes, the door opened, revealing a peaceful-looking man. He was tall, extremely thin, had glasses on that looked bigger than his face, and the little bit of hair he still had was slightly grey. "Miss Claire Hogue, right?" Harley nodded. "Please, come in." He welcomed her with a large smile. Seemed people were very friendly at that place.

"Please, take a sit." He pointed at the chair in front of his desk. "So, now it's your time to talk, Miss Hogue." Dr. Callaway said as he took a sit in his chair, still smiling at her.

"Well…" Harley could feel her hands sweating. "I always loved working with elderly people. I always seemed to get along with them, you know?"

"Yes, they are fascinating people. You can always learn from them."

"Sure. Of course, during my previous residences I haven't really spent much time with elderly people. I was in charge of group therapy sessions with adults and teenagers who were going through traumas and unsolved business in their lives." Harley had thought long and hard about the made-up parts and the little show she would give the doctor.

"Oh, that must have been quite intense. And I might say, I was very impressed with you resume. You have high recommendations from the New York hospital you worked in last year. Naturally, we called there and they only had good things to say about you."

Of course, Fury faked every bit of information he could get his hands on to help Harley get that job. She couldn't help but smile. "Oh, thank you! I brought my resume just in case you haven't been able to receive it." She pulled the paper from the case. "Well, I'll leave it here if you ever need a copy."

"A prevented lady, that's always a good sign. But tell me, you said you worked with group therapy sessions before, correct?" Harley nodded. "Well, here we don't do that very often, but if we ever need it, it'll be good to have someone with that background experience. While you're working here, you'll mainly focus on your patient, so it'll be easier to manage. We don't have many elderlies here. The most part here are women. I hope that won't be a problem for you?" The doctor asked, apprehensive.

"No, not at all. I think the bonding part between doctor and patient is very important." She cringed after that statement, but kept her smile.

"Well, that's great to hear, Miss Hogue! To be honest, by reading you resume and searching for your references, I think I would end up hiring you either way. I think that's it, then. Do you have any questions?"

" _Wow, that easy?"_ Harley though, the voice in her head still had the old Brooklyn spice. "No, I think it's all very clear. I'm really looking forward to start!"

"Splendid! I'll see you on Monday, then. Sarah will send you the files you'll need, the schedules and of course, the most important, the name of your patient. You'll have plenty of time until Monday to study everything. I hope you like it here!" The doctor stood, reaching out to Harley for a handshake and led her out of the room, looking as happy as he could be. Harley walked towards the exit, giving Sarah a short smile as she passed by the counter. _"What'a great start, Fruitcake!"_

* * *

Harley was lying on the couch watching a Hannibal episode when she heard someone knocking on the door. She peeked through the eye hole to see Natasha standing with her arms crossed, waiting for Harley to welcome her inside.

"Hey Red!" Harley greeted her.

"Hi Harl." Natasha gave her a smirk and handed her yet another case filled with papers. Natasha, apart from Fury and her doctors, was the only one who knew Harley's identity and all the horrors of her past. She was also one of the few she could actually relate to, since Natasha too had a dark background. They were on the same boat, trying to move on with their lives, despite the terrible things they've done in the past. "How can you watch that?" She asked staring at the television.

"It has great looking people and even greater looking food. That's how." Harley said, not taking her eyes away from the file. Around Natasha, she felt free to use her Brooklyn accent as she pleased.

"You do realize the food is people, right?" Natasha sat in the couch, still looking a bit disgusted at the television.

"What's this? I already have a ton of homework; I can't stand any more paperwork!" Harley whined as she held up the case.

"Just some random names Nick wants you to memorize. He didn't gave me any details, you know how he's like. Maybe there are instructions inside, who knows?" Natasha yawned.

"Long day, Red?" Harley teased.

"I wish. I miss a real mission, with kicks to the face and everything! All I've been doing lately includes a computer and a hacking device. I'm a Level 6 doing a Level 1 job." Natasha was clearly bored.

" _Poor thing."_ Harley thought. Sometimes, Natasha reminded Harley of her old friend Ivy. They were both powerful, deadly and seductive, not to mention their hair color. It was comforting calling Natasha "Red", that way Harley could still keep a tiny bit of Ivy inside of her new complicated life. Sometimes she wondered what Ivy was up to, if she really believed in Harley's fate; if Pam suffered as much as she did with her own "death".

"Hey, did you hear me?" Natasha's voice suddenly echoed in Harley's ears.

"Huh? Sorry Red, I went braindead for a sec. What did ya say?"

"I asked you if Fury already gave you a preview for any missions. You've been stationery for eight months now." Natasha had a worried tone to her voice.

"No. I think he just wants to keep me under surveillance." She didn't really felt like telling Nat about her new job at the nursing home. Although they were "friends", they didn't had the need or the habit to share everything. Especially now being a part of this whole secret services business. "Sometimes it feels like he didn't really recruited me, it's more like he's just… trying to keep me alive." Harley stopped for a moment, a bit touched by the thought.

"Alright, this is getting a little _too_ emotional for my taste." Natasha said, standing up from the couch. "Anyway, I gotta go. You're not the only one with tons of homework needing to be done. See you soon, Harl. Make sure to stop by my "office" on your next trip to SHIELD." She gave Harley a hug and head up for the door.

"That might take a while Red, but I'll do my best!" Harley shouted as Natasha closed the door.

Harley opened the case and read the small note clipped to the first page. _"Just some names for you to memorize in case of trouble. I'm not paranoid, just ahead of the curve. N.J.F."_ Harley couldn't help but laugh at the last sentence. Apparently, those were names of potential candidates of becoming her patients, and although she didn't had to worry about little ladies or gentlemen who were now over their 80 years old, their families might recognize her and screw everything up. Gathering the papers and turning the TV off, Harley marched to her room, to what was looking like another long night of names memorization.

* * *

Harley opened her e-mail the next morning to find the coordinates that Sarah sent her. She was dying to see whom she would be treating at the clinic, especially since she had the names fresh in her memory. Harley skipped the schedules and medications instructions to find what she was looking for: " _Margaret Carter_." She looked at the photo of the smiling 92-year-old woman. She had a long grey hair and her face was wrinkled like creased paper, her eyes were dark brown and she had perfect looking teeth. Harley found herself smiling back at the picture; something about that old lady was very interesting. She just didn't know _how_ much yet.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: Bitter(sweet) Memories**

When Harley made her way to the nursing home on that Monday morning she felt confident and very excited about her first day. She had read Margaret's file a dozen times, she knew exactly what to expect and what to be prepared for. Apparently, the poor old lady was starting to show signs of dementia. Her family hasn't been around so much; her daughter and her son were busy working outside of the country and her grandsons were off possibly doing the same thing. The file did not include, however, any kind of information regarding Margaret's personal life and what she was doing before ending up in the nursing home.

Harley greeted Sarah as she walked by her counter. The young girl had a huge smile on her face, welcoming Harley and wishing her good luck on her first day. She offered herself to walk Harley to Margaret's room, but Harley didn't think it would be necessary. All she needed to do was follow the numbers on the corridor walls, how hard could that be?

"You're gonna love Peggy, she's such a sweetheart! Good luck!" Sarah waved her goodbye as Harley marched to the room to find her patient. She stood in front of the door for a moment before knocking.

"Come in!" She heard a fragile voice coming from the other side. Harley opened the door slowly, immediately meeting the gaze of the old lady. She was lying in her bed, two pillows behind her head so she could stay a little higher, but sill comfortable. She was smiling briefly, although Harley could still see some of her perfect teeth.

"Hello Margaret! My name is Claire and I'll be taking care of you from now on!" Harley tried as hard as she could to sound friendly and not forced. It came out naturally though, probably because she was looking forward to work as Margaret's nurse.

"Oh please young lady, you can call me Peggy. Margaret makes me feel so old." She said with a wide smile. Harley loved to hear that British accent coming out of that old lady's mouth; it made her feel very comfortable for some reason, like she was at a sweet grandmother's house.

Harley let out a small laugh and walked closer towards her bed. "Well then, _Peggy,_ I though you should know I'm very excited to be here. Things have not been easy lately, but I feel like this is a fresh start. Just what I need."Before even realizing, Harley was already talking way too much to a woman she just met.

"Did something happened to you, poor girl?" Peggy sounded worried. Harley looked at her and simply shook her head. "No, I'm fine. It's just… well, we'll see." Turning her face from Peggy's eyes, Harley noticed the two pictures displayed in Peggy's little bedside table. " _Wow momma_ , is this you?"

Peggy laughed at the question, either because it was too stupid or because of Harley's accent. "Yeah, that's me. A pretty good while ago."

Harley was very amused. "You had it going, look at you! So pretty! I bet guys fought for you all the time, huh?" At that sentence, Harley saw Peggy's smiling fading away. "What is it, Peggy? Was it something I said? I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you sad!" Harley was desperately trying to fix whatever the hell she just did to that poor woman.

"No, no, it's alright Claire. Don't worry, it's just… _the memories_. You know, I feel that memories are more of a curse other than a blessing. They can make us so happy and incredibly sad at the same time. I wonder…" Peggy kept her gaze at the horizon, probably lost in thoughts, but Harley was still processing what Peggy just said. It was the most undeniable truth. If she could erase all those years of abuse and control, not to mention everything she's done for _him_ , it would be easier to sleep at night.

"Oh, hello! I didn't hear you come in, I'm sorry. What's your name, young lady?" Harley looked down at Peggy, she was smiling just like before. Harley's smile trembled for a moment before she reintroduced herself to her newest challenge.

* * *

The morning went by unnoticed. Harley gave Peggy her medications, treated her most urgent needs and, basically, just sat by Peggy's side until she fell asleep. When lunchtime approached, Harley gave a quick look to the sleeping woman before heading out for the cafeteria. When she got there, a few nurses looked at her and smiled, probably wanting her to feel welcomed by the group. Harley smiled back at them and went to pick up a tray to get some food. When she turned back to the tables, she noticed a woman sitting by herself, waving at her, asking Harley to join her. A bit hesitating, Harley walked towards the woman and sat at the chair across from her.

"Hey, you must be the new girl. Claire, right?" The woman asked. Harley nodded, studying her. She was very pretty; her hair was thick and voluminous it had a caramel color with some curls hanging out from her bun. She had salient cheeks and brown eyes, her skin was dark and she had breathtaking white teeth. "I'm Brenda. How do you like it here so far?"

"Oh, this is great. The levels of stress are zero compared to my previous job. I handled group therapy sessions at Ark… another hospital." She recovered fast after that almost _not-giving-anything-important-away_ information. "It was in New York, by the way."

"Oh really, which hospital?" Brenda asked, curiously.

Harley quickly answered. "It was a General Hospital, you know, very crowded. Anyway, here is a much different story. And the people are way friendlier, too." Brenda smiled before Harley asked. "Speaking of which, why are you sitting here by yourself? Are you the loner type?"

Harley didn't stop to think how that question would sound to Brenda, but she merely laughed. "No, not at all. If I was, I would never have invited you to sit with me. No, it's just that the girls and I, we thought you would be more comfortable talking to one person at a time, you know? We didn't want to come at you all at once and end up scaring you or anything. We're very close to each other here; we just want you to take your time to feel welcomed."

"That's so sweet, thank you! Oh, and don't worry about it, I'm not scared so easily." Harley let out a small laugh.

"So, you're Peggy's nurse, huh? That must be so exciting!" Brenda was amused but Harley looked at her, a bit confused. "What? She didn't tell you about her 'fighting in World War II' stories yet?" Brenda asked, shocked.

Harley widened her eyes at the sound of that. "What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to spoil everything. Pretend you didn't hear me!" Brenda took a sip from her orange juice, still looking at Harley's expression. "I thought you said you didn't scare too easily."

"I don't, but it's not every day you treat someone who fought in World War II, you know? It's pretty amazing, actually." Harley had a hard time imagining Peggy in a war uniform with a gun in hand, especially since the two photos she saw of Peggy in her young days were those of her with her children, looking as ordinary as possible. "They didn't mentioned that in her file."

"Yeah, she asked the doctors not to. But she tells everyone here so, go figure." Brenda said.

"Well, she didn't tell me. She slept almost the whole morning, thought. Plus, she had a memory relapse after we introduced each other." Harley said, finishing her food.

"Oh, poor thing. Such a shame. But she'll tell you, don't worry." Brenda assured her.

"She did get a little sad when I mentioned something about guys fighting for her in her younger days. I think she was going to tell me why but that was when her memory failed." Harley was still thinking about that.

"If there's one thing Peggy never talks about it's her love life. Not even about her husband. I know they met because of the war but that's the most you'll get out of her. Seriously, don't push her on that." Brenda warned her.

"Don't worry, I won't. If she ever feel like telling me about it, that's fine, otherwise, I'll respect her." Harley assured her.

"You clearly are a nurse!" Brenda smiled. "Well, I gotta go, my shift is starting. Nice talking to you Claire. Make sure to sit with us tomorrow! The girls will love to meet you!" Brenda said, rising up from her seat.

"Nice meeting you too, Brenda! See you around!" Harley waved Brenda goodbye and made her way back to Peggy's room. She was turning the corridor when something made her stop.

She watched from a distance as a man was just leaving Peggy's room. He had a suspicious look to him and clearly didn't want to be seen. Harley could tell that by the cap on his head and the way he kept his face down all the time. What if he had hurt Peggy? She couldn't stand a chance against that huge guy.

"Can I help you, sir?" Harley asked, trying to sound calm and neutral as she walked towards the strange man.

"Oh, hi. I'm sorry; I thought nobody would be here." He said, embarrassed, still facing the ground.

"Why would you think that?" Harley asked.

"It's just that… never mind. Have a nice day." He said as he left, almost running through the hallway. Harley thought about alerting security, but she needed to check on Peggy first. She entered the room and saw Peggy silently crying, tears flowing from her eyes. Harley immediately ran to her, grabbing Peggy's wrinkled hand in hers.

"What did he do to you?" Harley tried her best to sound calm, but she was desperate. Peggy didn't answer her. "I'm calling security." Harley said, moving away from the bed.

"No!" Peggy said, tithing the grip on Harley's hand. "Please, it's not necessary, Claire." Harley looked at her, shocked. At least she remembered her this time.

"You wouldn't be crying if this wasn't serious!" Harley said, trying to put some sense into the old lady's head.

"These are not tears of sadness, silly girl." Peggy said, smiling briefly to Harley's confused expression. "The most wonderful thing just happened. You wouldn't believe if I tell you!"

"Try me." Harley said, determined to understand just what the hell was going on.

* * *

"You're a sneaky little bastard, aren't ya?" Harley said as she entered the Director's office.

"Am I supposed to know what you're talking about, Hogue, or should I just assume you didn't take your meds this morning?" Fury didn't even bothered turning his chair to face her.

"Don't play stupid with me, pal! I should have known you put me in that nursing home for a reason!" Harley said leaning against the table, she was beyond herself at that point.

"You were put in that place so you could have a normal life, just like you asked. It's not my problem if you suffer from chronic dissatisfaction." He said, this time turning to face her with a very intimidating look on his face.

"So the fact that my patient just happens to be Captain America's ex-sweetheart from World War II is just a funny coincidence, huh?" She asked, ironically.

"It appears so." Fury sounded as casual as possible.

"You sent him there to spy on me, didn't you? That's why he was there today, right?" She didn't care if she was throwing accusations at her boss, the man she was once told she could trust. She felt betrayed at that point.

"What Captain Rogers does with his free time does not concerns me at all. Do yourself a favor, will you Hogue? Lay off the paranoia and go see Dr. Talbot for another therapy session, you're in serious need of that." Fury said, putting an end to the conversation.

"You're unbelievable!" Harley didn't move an inch.

"You wanna quit? I'll call the nursing home right now and tell them you'll not be going back. But you're on your own from here on now." Fury pointed at the phone on his desk, his gaze sending a shiver down her spine.

"Of course I'm not quitting! That's not why I'm here for! I just… I need to be able to trust you, Nick! But I can't do that if you keep treating me like some Bubble Headed Blonde Bimbo!"

"You're not blonde anymore." Fury narrowed his eye. It was hard to get mad at her, he had to admit.

"You do get my point though, right?" She asked, impatient.

"If I only took you for a goofy little henchgirl I would have never saved your life in the first place. And you _can_ trust me, I thought I made that clear enough. No one is after you, Claire." He said, a little softer now. "Now, do what I said and go see Dr. Talbot. It'll do you good." Fury led her out of his office. Harley didn't spoke after that, simply gave Nick a quick look and headed for the therapy floor.

* * *

It was past 9pm when she finally got home. She felt exhausted as she made her way up the stairs to her apartment. Therapy was a very intense exercise for her, more than any physical effort. When she finally reached her floor, she noticed a small pamphlet just outside her apartment door. Hoping it wasn't any delayed bills, she grabbed it and widened her eyes as she read _"Smithsonian Proudly Exhibits: Captain America – A Symbol to the Nation."_

"Ya really wanting to make part of my life, huh Cap?" Harley said to herself, not being able to avoid smiling at the Captain's picture on the pamphlet.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: Paying A Visit To The Past**

Harley spent the next few weeks attending Peggy's needs, and now that she knew about Captain America, Peggy didn't mind telling her a few stories about the war. It amazed Harley to know that, on top of everything Peggy's done, she also helped founding SHIELD, the same organization she was now a part of. Although Peggy's recent memories were starting to deteriorate a bit faster now, she could still manage to dig up the 40's exciting moments to share with Harley when she was lucid.

It had been almost 3 weeks since Harley saw the Captain leaving Peggy's room. She doubted he would ever show up again, but she was proven wrong when returning from lunch time on a Tuesday afternoon. There he was, exactly how she remembered from last time, cap on the head and everything. This time Harley approached him slowly, she didn't want to scare him. She was curious about him and wanted to talk as a civilized person.

"Hey, it's you again." She said, getting him by surprise.

"Oh, yeah, hi." He said, uncomfortable. Of course, he only visited Peggy during lunch time so he could avoid being seen.

"Before you run off again, I just wanted to apologize for the other day." Harley started, drawing the Captain's attention. He looked confused for a minute. "I took some anticipated conclusions and ended up sounding a bit accusatory." Harley explained.

"Oh! Please ma'am, don't worry about that. I should be the one apologizing. Anybody in your place would have suspected about a guy like me." He said, immediately. "I shouldn't have ran away the way I did. Only… things got a little intense in there." He turned his head to Peggy's room.

"Yeah, I bet they did. After all, 70 years is a pretty long time, don'tcha agree, Cap?" Harley asked, a playful smile on her lips.

"What?" He suddenly looked at her, surprised.

"You honestly didn't think Peggy would tell me? I'm practically her best friend, plus I'm her nurse." Harley thought he would be a little smarter than that.

"Honestly I couldn't even think straight after our last encounter." He said, embarrassed.

"It's okay, Cap. By the way, don't worry, I haven't told anyone." Except their boss, but he didn't need to know about that. In fact, she wasn't planning to tell him that she was a SHIELD agent anytime soon.

"I appreciate your discretion, miss…?" He paused, expecting that Harley would identify herself.

"Claire. Claire Hogue." Harley still wasn't comfortable with that name, it sounded weird every time she or anyone else called her that.

"Nice to meet you officially then, Miss Hogue." He reached out to shake her hand.

"Please, call me Claire. Miss Hogue is a bit too formal for my taste." Harley said, grabbing his hand and shaking it in return. Having Fury calling her that was already enough. "By the way, the girls here are dying to see your exhibit at the museum. They are planning for us to go all together." Harley said, amused.

"Make sure to tell me your thoughts after the visit." He said, smiling. "Well, I have to go now. Take care Claire, I hope to see you again soon."

"You know where to find me, Cap." She said, returning to Peggy's room.

* * *

"There you are!" Harley heard Brenda's voice from across the hall. Their shift had just ended.

"I've been here the whole day, genius." Harley said, leaving Peggy's room. She had gotten close to all the nurses, but Brenda was the only one she could call a 'sort-of-friend', kinda like Natasha.

"I talked to the girls. We set up a date." She sounded excited. "Are you free this Saturday?"

"I'll have to check, but probably will. You know how _busy_ my life tends to be." Harley said, sarcastic.

"Right, smart-ass." Brenda gave her a smirk. "We'll meet in front of the Smithsonian at 10am. That way we can enter together, explore and have lunch there without worrying."

"Roger that." Harley did a salute gesture, what caused Brenda to roll her eyes.

"Adorable." She replied. "Okay, I'm out. Take care Claire, see you tomorrow." She gave her a hug and headed for the exit. Harley didn't took long to do the same, amused by the fact that she had a slight advantage on the Captain subject.

* * *

Harley woke up earlier than she would on a normal Saturday morning. She took a shower, put some makeup on and was still deciding if she should wear the American Flag shirt Brenda got for her. She concluded that it was a bit too much and opted for a regular black shirt instead. She opted for a big breakfast since they would probably eat something at the museum later that afternoon.

When the time to meet up was approaching, Harley made her way to the Smithsonian. It didn't took a long time for her to find the group of nurses. Brenda saw her first and started waving like a maniac.

"I saw you already!" Harley yelled, approaching them.

"Woah, woke up on the wrong side of the bed, Claire?" She asked, playful.

"To think that I could _still_ be in bed is what's killing me." Harley answered, annoyed.

"It's for a good cause, come on! When do we ever get to spend time together outside of work?" Sarah tried to cheer her up. Even though she wasn't a nurse, she was very close to the other girls, so it made sense she would be there with them.

"Okay, enough talking, I really wanna get inside!" Brenda said, pulling Harley along as she made her way to the doors. The security was very enhanced, so it took a while until they were all able to pass the metal detectors and finally enter the museum.

"Okay girls, we can meet up at the cafeteria around noon. Everyone agree?" Brenda asked.

The girls nodded and went off to explore the place. Harley was glad they wouldn't have to stick together during the whole exhibit.

"I'm gonna go this way, okay? See you later, Claire." Brenda waved and made her way through the crowd, disappearing from Harley's sight.

" _Well, this better be at least educational."_ She thought, starting to approach the panels, looking at the pictures. There was a huge painting of the Captain, posing with one hand to the side of his head, as in a salute gesture. Harley imagined him without that silly uniform, wearing that _oh-so-subtle_ disguise at the nursing home and couldn't help but giggle. "Whoa!" She stopped to examine a bit closer the little skinny kid's picture on the wall.

"Who would've thought it, right?" An old sir wearing a security uniform asked, standing beside her. "Thank God for science, don't you think?" Harley nodded, giving him a smile as he moved away.

"Go figure." Harley shrugged, continuing to walk between the panels. Her next stop was at the Howling Commando's Uniforms display. She noticed Sarah was already there, studying it very carefully.

"Hey Claire." Sarah greeted, as Harley approached. "Wow, how amazing is this, right?"

"I thought they would all wear flags for a costume." Harley said, heedless, looking at the huge panel behind the uniforms. It was painted with the faces of the Captain's fellow soldiers.

"Of course not, silly. What would be the point of 'Captain America' if everyone dressed up like him?" Sarah said, amused.

"Yeah, I get it, it's his _own_ thing." Harley yawned.

"Do you think he would come here? Must be scary, right?" Sarah suddenly sounded serious. "Can you imagine how weird this must be for him?"

"Probably. I would hate to have my face painted that big exposed at a museum." Harley shivered at the thought.

"Well, I didn't mean because of the attention or the fame. But just think about it, everyone in that panel is dead right now." Sarah pointed at the painting but Harley had her attention focused on one of her chipped nails. "All of them, except for him. He's looking exactly the same as he was 70 years ago." She said, amazed.

"You're diving in a bit too deep there, Sarah. Come on, let's look at something else." Harley said, pulling Sarah away from the uniforms.

They walked around a bit more, noon approaching as they made their way to find the other girls.

"You know, I gotta admit, I thought this would be kinda boring. Museums were never my cup of tea, especially because of the stuffed animals. They always gave me the creeps. But this is really interesting, don'tcha think?" Harley turned to her side, but Sarah wasn't following her anymore. After looking around the place for a bit, she found her studying a panel, apparently lost in thoughts.

"If you don't want my company you can tell me Sarah, don't need to run off like that." Harley said, approaching her side.

"Oh no, Claire! Sorry, my legs were faster than my mind. I just had to come here." She said, not taking her eyes away from the panel. Harley wanted to know what the fuzz was all about and turned her head to the picture in front of her. Staring back at them was the face of a man, apparently very young. He must have been around the Captain's age by the time the picture was taken. Harley studied his face for a bit before moving her eyes to read his name.

"Bucky Barnes." Harley read aloud. "What's the deal?" She asked, after a while.

"Oh, come on Claire!" Sarah looked at her, shocked. "He was the only Howling Commando who died during the war! He gave his life fighting for freedom, and he was the Captain's best friend! Don't you think that's sad? "

"Well, I would if I had known him." Claire said, defensive. "I meant what's _your_ deal with him?"

"Oh, nothing special, I just think he's cute." Sarah said, blushing. It caused Harley to roll her eyes before looking down at the little screen under the panel. It was playing a few old clips from the war, including some of the Captain and Bucky together. They were very close, indeed. It was clear by the way they were laughing at each other on the following clip.

"Guess I'm not the only one." Harley heard Sarah saying, her voice had a playful tone.

"Not the only one what?" Harley asked, absorbed, a huge smile on her face, moving her eyes away from the screen.

"Oh, nothing." Sarah smirked and started to make her way to the cafeteria, Harley soon following her, the stupid grin still in her lips.

* * *

"You thought about what I said earlier? Kristen, from Statistics?" Natasha asked, amused. Even though they had almost been blowed up a few hours ago because of her, she still found the time to annoy him with her dating advices. They were having their wounds treated at SHIELD's infirmary base.

"I have a lot on my mind right now and asking Kristen out it's _not_ one of them." Steve said, clearly irritated, while the doctor finished examining him for possible fractures.

"Come on Rogers, you're not going to hold that against me forever, are you?" Natasha asked, frustrated. "It's what we do in this business. Nothing personal, just our jobs."

"I think I have a little bit of trust issues right now." Steve said, final. He was still coming to terms with the fact that he led a mission thinking _he_ was the one in charge. That changed very quickly once he found out Natasha had a mission of her own. He would make sure to confront Fury about it.

After having the doctor's permission to leave, they marched to the elevator, tension still built between them. Naturally, Natasha was the first one to speak.

"Nobody special, tough?"

"You don't give up, do you?" Steve rolled his eyes, stepping out of the elevator, making his way to the garage, Natasha following him.

"I'm very persistent, Rogers." She gave him a smirk.

"Just to get you off my case, I _did_ met someone. But it's not a big deal!" He said immediately as Natasha turned her face at him, a huge smile on her lips. "We talked only twice. And the first one doesn't even count."

"Where? Is she cute? What's her name?" She sounded like a child on Christmas morning. Steve immediately regretted telling her.

"I met her at a nursing home. She's a nurse." Steve haven't told Natasha or anyone about Peggy, the reason why he went to the nursing home in the first place, and hoped he wouldn't have to.

"What were you doing there?" She asked, pulling out her car keys.

"Have you ever heard about something called privacy?" He asked, irritated. "I talked way too much already; I'm not obliged to tell you everything!"

"Okay, back to the girl, then. What's her name?" She was clearly enjoying herself.

"I didn't asked. Like I said, we only talked twice." Steve replied as he mounted his bike and was ready to run away from that conversation. He felt it was best not to tell Natasha the nurse's name. She had her way around a computer and could easily track the girl down just to see what she looks like.

"Keep me posted, Rogers!" He heard Natasha shouting, as he drove off, dying to get home for a shower and a long night of sleep.

* * *

The previous day had been stressful enough and the last thing Steve needed was more things to worry about at that point. That was proven wrong when he left SHIELD's headquarters after Fury showed him the next step in 'world security'. He initially planned to confront Fury about his mission but ended up chewing a bit more than he could bite. He needed to think about what to do. He wasn't so sure about continuing on this Special Services universe. But then again, what would he do if he ever got out? The world has moved on but he had not moved on with it.

He thought about visiting Peggy, she always knew how to comfort him when she was lucid, but there was a place he needed to go first.

* * *

Steve made sure to wear his cap and keep his head down as he made his way through the crowd in the museum. He was nervous about how it would feel to see himself through the eyes of America. To them, he was a symbol, a Phoenix that rose from the ashes… a _true hero_. He never felt that way, all he did was his duty as a patriot and as a soldier. People didn't think that he was just like them: he had insecurities, personal flaws, fears and, above all, doubts.

It wasn't until he saw that familiar face that his heart finally sunk. He moved closer to the panel, staring into those eyes. Bucky was staring back at him, his expression of determination and loyalty still present. 70 years hadn't changed the fact that he should have done something. Bucky's death was on his hands, he wasn't able to save him in time, all he could do was watch as his best friend slowly disappeared in the snow to never again being found. When tears threatened to leave his eyes, he decided it was time to look around a bit more, maybe get distracted by some old movies, as much as he doubted it would help him right now.

* * *

"It's been so long… So long!" Peggy mourned, looking as sad as he ever saw her.

"Well, I couldn't leave my best girl." Steve said, trying as hard as he could to sound calm. "Not when she owes me a dance!" His smile faded when she started crying. After a while, she calmed down and fell asleep. Only then he felt sure about leaving the room.

"It's getting worse, isn't it?" Harley surprised him as he closed the door. She had been waiting for him at the corridor.

"I'm afraid so." Steve said, unfortunate. "Can the doctors do anything about it?"

"Not at this point. As sad as it is, it's what everyone's expecting. Peggy is at a very advanced age; these deteriorations are unfortunately part of the package." Harley said, surprised with herself for her professional tone.

"What about her family?" Steve asked, worried.

"Well, they are aware of the situation. The doctor is keeping them posted. I think they're coming to visit her soon. They are very busy people, apparently." Harley said, bitter. She didn't care much about Peggy's family; she felt they needed to be there for her, especially now that Peggy was beginning to forget about everything around her.

"It's such a shame." Steve looked very miserable; it couldn't be all because of Peggy. Harley felt that there was something else eating him inside.

"Are you okay, Cap?" Harley put her hand on his shoulder. "Wanna talk about it?"

"It's nothing, really. I just have a lot on my mind right now." He looked at her, trying to sound convincing. When she kept staring at him, waiting for an explanation, he quickly changed the subject. "So, have you been to the museum? You mentioned the nurses were planning on going."

She removed her hand from his shoulder, ignoring the sudden change of topic. "Yeah, we went there on Saturday."

"And what did you think? Did you like it?" He asked, unsure.

"Honestly, it was very educational. I didn't know you used to be so small." She giggled.

"Yeah, I was kind of problematic in my younger days." He chuckled. "Always too dumb to run away from a fight. The main reason why I was never killed in an alley was because of my friend Bucky." He frowned after that statement.

They kept silent for a moment. Harley wasn't sure if she should say what was on her mind, but her voice escaped from her before she even realized.

"You blame yourself, don't you?" He stared back at her, his eyes widened. "I saw his memorial at the museum. You two seemed to be very close."

"It's not fair, that's all." Steve said, sounding a bit rude for the first time.

"What's not fair?" Harley asked, confused.

"That I get to live and he had to die on that damn train!" He replied a bit louder, what caused people to start paying more attention to their conversation.

Harley stared at him, shocked. He needed to let that out and the corridor of the nursing home clearly was not the best place to have that kind of discussion.

"Come with me." Harley said, pulling him towards the cafeteria. They sat at a small table, away from the others.

"Let it all out." Harley said, staring at him.

"That's not the point. It's not about letting out; it's about wanting to change something that I can't!" Steve didn't usually opened up like that with people, let alone someone he had just met, but for some reason he felt comfortable enough around Claire to do that.

"That's right, you can't!" Harley replied. "So stop relying on that! What's the point of focusing all your energy on something that does nothing but hurting you? You think your friend would want that?"

Steve kept silent for a moment before answering. "It just kills me to think he could have had a life… a future, a family. He could have left a legacy behind."

"He did. He paid his duty to his country. He died believing in something. Isn't that enough for you?" Harley asked. "Look, don't get me wrong, I know it's not easy to move on, but you have to come to terms with yourself in order for that to happen. Give yourself time and you'll get through it."

"You should have been a therapist, you know?" Steve said after a while. "Not that you don't do a great job as a nurse, but I really appreciate the advices you've given me today. Thank you, Claire." He took her hand and pressed it gently.

Harley gave him a sincere smile, a bit unsettled by what he just said. She felt it was a little unfair that she knew who Steve was but he had no idea of whom _she_ was.

"I better go now." He said, rising from the chair and heading out for the door. "We should do this more often." Steve said, before exiting the cafeteria. He still wanted to pay Sam a visit at the V.A; he felt he owed the poor guy after testing his limits on the jogging the day before.

* * *

It was almost 10pm when Harley finished her shift. She said goodbye to the girls and headed over to the parking lot; all she wanted now was to get home as soon as possible.

Harley entered the apartment; her mind still going back to her clumsy get-together with Captain America as she made her way to the bathroom. After a long shower, she threw in her pajamas and dove in her bed for a long night of well-deserved sleep. When she was nearly asleep, her phone started to ring. Cursing whoever was calling her at that hour, she reached out to the bedside table, picking the phone and reading the name of the caller.

" _Red"_

" _Shoot, someone better be dying!_ " Harley thought as she answered the calling.

"Whataya want, Red? Ya know what time it is?" She asked, angry.

"It's Fury… he's been shot. They are operating him at the hospital right now." Natasha said, her voice had a desperate worried sound. "I think he's dying, Harley."

Not even thinking twice, she hung off the phone, put on some decent clothes and headed for the garage. He was not going to do that to her. He couldn't. Not now.


	6. Chapter 6

_Let's start to shake things up a little bit around here!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 6: An Unplanned Situation**

When Harley tried to park her car in front of the hospital, she noticed Natasha's Corvette was blocking the passage. She figured Red was in such a hurry she didn't even bothered parking the car in a spot, so Harley decided to do the same.

As she made her way to the entrance, she saw a significant amount of STRIKE agents surrounding the place. They all had a tough expression on their faces, looking extremely alert at all times. When she reached out for the door, someone immediately grabbed her arm and took her in a different direction.

"Hey, hands off the merchandise!" Harley said as she tried to pull away from the grip, not being able to tell yet who was holding her.

"Easy there, sweetie. We're going in from the back, that's where they're operating him." There was no doubt to whom that pretentious voice was coming from.

"I should have guessed it was you, Brock." Harley said, annoyed, pulling away from him. "No other man would treat a lady in such a nice way."

"You know me, I'm a class act." He said, winking and giving her a cocky smile.

"How can you be playing at a time like this?" Harley asked, angry. "Do you know what's going on in there? The doctors said anything yet?"

"He was still on the surgery table when I left the room. I bumped into Black Widow, she said she called you and I should wait for you out here. That's about it." Rumlow said as he guided Harley through the corridors until they reached a double door.

"Who else's in there?" Harley asked but the answer came immediately as Rumlow opened the doors. She only had time to widen her eyes as agent Hill and Captain America turned around to see who had just entered the room. _"Shit."_

"Claire?" He asked, surprised, after staring at her in shock for a minute. "What are you doing here?" He said, his voice trembling. His eyes were wet, so were Maria's.

"Uh… Well, I…" Before Harley could continue, Natasha rushed towards her and gave her a hug, tears flowing from her eyes.

"He's gone, Harl." She said so only Harley could hear her.

"What?" Harley asked, as she pulled away from Natasha, tears starting to form in her eyes as well.

"They cut him open but there was nothing they could do about it… It was already too late." Harley had never seen Red that vulnerable before. She knew how much Fury meant to her, and that only made the situation a lot worse.

It hit Harley pretty hard, too. She was finally starting to feel safe, feeling that she was, for once in her life, doing the right thing and it was all thanks to Fury. He was one of the only people she could trust at that moment, if not the only. And now he was dead.

"I'm sorry, Red." Harley pulled her in for another hug, noticing Steve staring at them, looking both intrigued and angry.

"Can somebody explain to me what the hell is going on?" He said, causing Natasha to pull away from Harley and stare at him, confused. When nobody answered, he continued. "How do you know each other? Why are you even here, Claire? I thought I saw you working at the nursing place, not a hospital." He said, accusatory.

"Oh no!" Natasha said, shocked. "Were you talking about _her_ the other night?" She pointed at Harley, her mouth slightly open.

"I guess it's the first time I regret not sharing crucial information with you." He fired back at her, not taking his eyes away from Harley. "I'm still waiting for an answer, Claire. If that's even your real name, that is."

"Okay, okay!" Harley raised her hands, fighting the urge to cry more. "But can we please talk outside?" She almost forgot about Rumlow's and the other STRIKE agents' presence, including Maria Hill's, and since she was about to share top-secret information, she didn't want a big audience listening to it.

"Fine." He said, cold, making his way to the hallway.

Harley looked at Natasha, who was now joining agent Hill to take the necessary measures about Fury's body. She gave Harley a nod and followed Hill, disappearing from sight.

Harley took a deep breath and walked towards Steve, a huge knot in her throat.

"So?" He asked, intimidating.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way. The truth is… I'm sort of your co-worker." She said, staring at the ground.

"You're a SHIELD agent?" He asked, incredulous. "But… then why were you at the nursing home? You being here means you were obviously close to Fury, how come I've never seen you before?"

"Slow down, Cap. I'm not exactly functional at the moment, one of the only people who's ever given a damn about me just died." Harley said, this time facing Steve.

"What's the deal then?" He said, apparently not touched by her statement.

"Nick recruited me a little while ago, not even a year. Before this, I was living a not-so-proudly life. Lying to you it's not the worst way I could hurt you, believe me." She said, looking deep into his eyes. "I had to put an end to the madness that had become my life, so I choose to kill myself. I jumped through a window, ended up in dam, ready to drown, like I should have. However, Nick was keeping some tabs on me and was able to rescue me before that happened."

The Captain kept looking at her, his expression growing more shocked after every statement.

"Long story short, I'm now an officially dead woman and my past is buried deep with me, all thanks to Nick. He saved my life and gave me a second chance. He believed in me enough to let me try and go straight, that's how I ended up working in that nursing house. All I had to do in return was offer my skills and be a decent person for once." Harley could not fight the tears anymore, as they started to run down her face. "I think it makes sense now why I wouldn't want you or anyone else to know about that, right?"

"What about Natasha?" Steve asked.

"She knows only what I choose to tell her. She's someone I could relate to, we're not so different from each other. We both have ghosts in our pasts." Harley paused for a second. "But if you try to get any kind of information out of her, you'll be wasting your time." She warned him.

"I wouldn't do that. I just don't like the idea of being lied to." He assured. "I think I will never get used to this world of secrecy and espionage." Steve said, sounding a bit ashamed. "I'm sorry… You did had a good reason not to tell me." He gave her a weak smile before quickly stiffened his expression. "Now that that's out of the way, we need to focus on Fury's assassin. I've never seen someone like that before."

"You saw the killer?" Harley asked, shocked.

"Yes. Nick was at my apartment when it happened." Steve suddenly seemed a bit more precautious with his words. "After you and I talked earlier in the nursing house, I went back home and he was already there waiting for me. He was hurt pretty badly."

"Why was he there?" Apparently she wasn't the only agent Fury had an urge to monitor by breaking an entering.

"I don't know." He said, remembering Fury's last words. After what he had just found out, he couldn't consider Claire to be a fully trustable person.

Harley immediately noticed his lousy attempt of lying to her, but she decided to overlook that, she had something else in her mind right now.

"Did you take a good look at him? How did he looked like?" She asked, desperate for any kind of information on the killer.

"It's hard to put into words. He didn't even looked human; it seemed more like a machine." Steve said, trying to concentrate. "I couldn't see his face, he was wearing a mask. He was really fast, strong… had a metal arm."

Harley's eyes widened at the last comment. If that person had been able to kill Fury and leave the great Captain America unbalanced, then he surely was a powerful nemesis. All that and the fact he had a robotic arm just made it seem even more challenging.

"You're planning on going after him?" Harley asked; if Steve thought he was going to avenge Nick's death alone, he was completely wrong.

"We're not going to turn this into a personal vendetta quest." He said, understanding exactly what she was intending to do. "I saw what that man is capable of, there's no way you can take him out, especially when you're blinded by revenge!"

"I didn't say anything, Cap." Harley said, turning his back on him and starting to make her way to the exit. _"Wait 'till ya see what **I'm** capable of!"_ She thought as she went through the doors and headed for the car.

As she went to grab her keys, she felt a sting followed by a shock wave on her neck. It caused her to fall to the ground, disoriented. Before Harley could realize what was going on, someone started to drag her towards what it looked like a dark alley; she tried to scream but the person was covering her mouth.

"Sorry about this, sweetie, I'm just following orders." Those were the last words she heard when Rumlow tossed her in the back of a van.

* * *

Steve kept silent for a moment after Claire left, still processing everything they just talked. He knew there was a lot of information she was still keeping from him, but he didn't want to push her. She was clearly still recovering from a terrible past. She needed time. Instead of worrying so much about Claire, he decided to find Natasha and Hill to see what would be their next move.

He entered a door that was being guarded by two STRIKE agents; inside were Natasha and Maria; Nick's body was lying on a hospital bed in the middle of the room.

"They just released the body… she wanted to see him one last time." Hill said as Steve approached her.

Natasha was still very sensitive, tears flooding her face as she kept her hand on Nick's forehead for a final goodbye. It was very unusual to see her like that, looking so vulnerable.

"I need to take him." Hill said, crying silently as well.

"Natasha." Steve called out, but she merely walked past him and began to make her way towards the exit. He decided to follow her; she was looking furious and could do something reckless. "Natasha!" He called her again.

"Why was Fury in your apartment?" She barely turned around before asking, a dubious look in her eyes.

"I don't know." He repeated the answer to the same question. As hard as he tried, he still didn't fully trusted Natasha as a confident. She was a spy, after all; a majority part of her job was tell lies and deceive people.

"Hey Cap, they want you back at SHIELD." Steve heard Rumlow calling from across the hall, by the opposite exit door.

"Yeah, give me a second." Steve said, still focused on his discussion with Natasha.

 _"_ They want you now." Rumlow said, demanding.

"Okay." Steve gave him an annoyed look as he turned to face Natasha once more.

"You're a terrible liar." She said with a wary smirk before leaving his sight.

Steve knew they were taking him back to headquarters for questioning, so he had to think fast about getting rid of the flash drive Fury gave to him before he died. It needed to be put somewhere he could get it back from as soon as he had the chance. He noticed someone was refilling the corridor's vending machine. Steve studied it for a second, making sure nobody was watching before placing the device behind the bubble gums. Not feeling sure if that was a smart move, he made his way towards the STRIKE team, quickly leaving the hospital.

"Alright team, escort the Captain back to base." Rumlow said as he started to head for a different direction. He was in charge of escorting someone else.

* * *

That man sure was strong and fast. Nobody has ever been able to catch up to him before, especially when running on rooftops. He should have kept the shield, thought, instead of throwing it back at the guy.

Those were his thoughts as the doctors finished the usual check-up on his arm after the missions. It hadn't been an easy one this time. He thought that after blowing up the target's car on the street, it would have been completed, but the target somehow managed to escape. He knew what would be expecting him in case of failure, so he had to finish the mission fast. There was no room for error. It ended up successful, taking away the unplanned rooftop chase.

"We're all done here, sir." He heard a doctor talking to someone by the door.

"Very well. Leave us." Pierce said as he entered the room. The doctors soon started to head out to the exit. "Mission report." Pierce demanded.

"The target was terminated, sir." The soldier spoke, promptly.

"Any further casualties? Civilians?" Pierce continued.

"No, sir." He stopped for a moment, not sure if he should tell Pierce about the man who almost got him.

"Anything further relevant to add?" Pierce studied him while asking, his eagle eyes scanning every part of the soldier's expression.

"There was a man there. He had a shield; seemed to be very strong."

Pierce stiffened for a minute, a slight tone of worry in his voice. "Were you compromised?"

"No, sir. I was able to flee without further complications; however I did not killed him." He feared that the last statement could cost him a night of punishment.

Pierce kept silent for a moment, what caused the soldier to stay alert for any signs of a possible changing of plans. The sound of Pierce's communicator broke the silence. "Yes?"

 _"Sir, we have her. We're coming in in a few minutes."_ Rumlow's voice came out of the device, that cocky tone making the soldier's jaw clench.

"Good. Is she awake?" Pierce asked, ignoring the soldier's presence.

 _"We had to sedate her after the first shock wave. She put in a hell of a fight trying to break loose; knocked down Rollins in the back of the van."_ Rumlow was amused by the sound of that last statement. So was the soldier; he didn't particularly cared for the members of the STRIKE team, they were often the ones in charge of his punishments.

"Just bring her over. We don't have much time." Pierce said while leaving the room, not even looking back at the soldier. Nothing he wasn't used to; he wasn't there to be talked to. He was only their _asset_ , the resource they needed when things got out of control.

He was curious, though, wondering who Pierce and Rumlow were talking about earlier. It was obviously a woman, since they referred to the person as a 'she'. If was true that she was able to knock down one of the STRIKE agents, it would be interesting to find out more about her. Would she be there as another asset or as a prisoner?

That question was quickly answered as the soldier heard footsteps coming from outside of his 'room'. He didn't stood up from the chair; through the bars he was able to tell apart a few STRIKE agents. Rumlow was the one far behind, carrying the body of an unconscious woman over his shoulder. Her hands were tied behind her back, her hair was falling in front of her face and her feet were also tied up.

As they left his sight area, Rollins suddenly appeared; a huge bruise on his forehead along with a fresh black eye. He gave the soldier a rough look while passing in front of the bars before making his way to join the rest of the team. The soldier couldn't help but smirk at that view.

"Very interesting, indeed."


	7. Chapter 7

_A few scenes happen simultaneously, so if you guys get confused, my bad! Enjoy the chapter and I hope you like it!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 7: Facing the Danger**

"Come on Harl, pick up!" Natasha grumbled as she drove her car back from the hospital.

 _"Hey! Wait… is this thing on? Oh, 'kay. Hey! You reached Claire; I can't come to the phone right now so leave your message after the beep!"_ Natasha rolled her eyes at the end of the answering machine's message.

"Harl, it's me, Natasha. I tried to find you after I left the hospital but since your car was gone, I figured you went straight home. Just wanted to check on you… I know this is hard but we'll have to be strong and try to find out what's going on. I'll keep you posted. Take care and call me as soon as you can!" She hung up and decided to drive for a little longer, her head full of unanswered questions; the most urgent one concerning the fact Steve hid something in the hospital's vending machine. She was going to find out what it was and why.

* * *

"Captain!" Steve was ready to leave when the calling made him turn around once more.

"Somebody murdered my friend and I'm going to find out why." Pierce said, his words growing threatening. "Anyone gets in my way, they're gonna regret it… _Anyone_." He emphasized that last word, his eyes fixed on the Captain's face.

"Understood." Steve said, maintaining Pierce's look before turning around, ready to leave that uncomfortable environment.

As the Captain left his office, Pierce pulled off a communicator from his pocket. "He's heading for the elevator. Get your teams ready on each floor, tell Sitwell to start monitoring the security cameras. You know what to do."

 _"Yes, sir."_ Rumlow's voice came out from the device.

"When you're done here, get back to base; I'll be there in a couple of hours. Someone needs to check on our guest." Pierce said, turning off the device without waiting for an answer.

* * *

The pain in her head was intense and it was what caused her to open her eyes. She could taste blood in her mouth, probably from a cut lip. Trying to come to terms with the environment, Harley tried to stand up, but her hands and her feet were tied to the bed.

"Hello?!" She yelled, beginning to get desperate. "Is there anybody here? I need help!" When no answer came, she tried to break free but the bonds were too tight. She remembered who dragged her into the van last night and he was not going to get away with it. "Brock, ya sneaky bastard, I know you're behind this, get me outta here!"

Harley grew tired after her useless efforts didn't result in her freedom. No matter how hard she screamed, no one came to her rescue, besides, her head was still exploding in pain and she had no idea of where she was. It was a small room without windows, the white color of the walls was peeled and there was no furniture except for the bed where she was lying on. When Harley was ready to give up, she heard the door being unlocked; moments after that Rumlow entered the room.

"Wow!" Harley said, amusement in her voice for the first time. "Please tell me that I was the one who did that to you!"

Rumlow gave her a cold look; his face was completely bruised. "You wish, sweetie, I'm not soft like Rollins." He said, unemotional. "Now, be a nice girl and behave while I get you outta there. Someone wants to see you."

"What makes you think I wouldn't hit you in the balls and make a run for it?" Harley teased; she was determined to drive him annoyed as hard as she could.

"I'll tell you what… just outside of that door there's a formation line of agents, all of them will be pointing their machine guns at your pretty little face once we're outside. Is that enough for you?" He started to untie her feet and her hands, that cocky grin of his making Harley's face turn red in rage.

"All this trouble just for me? I'm touched." She raised from the bed as Rumlow ordered her to put her hands behind her back so he could tie them up again.

"You ain't seen nothing yet." He started to push her towards the door. Once it was open, the agents immediately pointed their guns at Harley, just like Brock said they would.

"Careful with those toys, boys. We don't want anyone getting hurt, now, do we?" She said careless, stopping for a moment when she noticed Rollins. "Looking good, handsome!" Harley smiled and winked but before she could see his reaction, she was already being guided in a different direction. The agents soon started to follow.

"This isn't the best time for you to be playing around, kid." Rumlow tighted up the grip on her arm, but that wouldn't stop her.

"Ya know me, _I'm a class act._ " She looked up at him and gave a fake smile. He merely looked away, too concentrated on following his orders. "Who wants to see me this bad, anyway? You guys are putting in a hell of a show here; is this like an underground prison or something?" She asked but he didn't answered. "By the way, you still haven't told me about your face. Wasn't pretty, I bet." Her quest to unbalance Brock was still on going, but he wasn't cooperating very well.

She was about to annoy him again but something made her stop. There was a cell across the corridor, very small and contained. But that wasn't the reason she stopped… it was because of it's current occupant.

When they passed by it, it was a split second, but Harley was able to notice someone, most likely a man, lying on a simple bed with his back facing them. He had a simple black shirt on and an old and torn blanket covered the rest of his body. As they passed the cell she could hear that one of the agents behind them started to bang on the bars with his gun, probably waking up the man.

"Who's that? Another lucky recruit for this Holiday Camp of yours?" She asked as they finally arrived to their destination.

"You'll find out soon enough." Rumlow said with a wicked smirk as he slowly opened the door, revealing one of the last people Harley would expect to see at a place like that.

"Mr. Pierce?" Harley widened her eyes to the man sitting on the desk. "What's going on? Are you here to negotiate my release?"

Pierce let out a laugh, followed by Rumlow. She stared at both of them, confused. If that was their idea of a joke, it surely needed improvement.

"No my dear, that's not at all why I'm here." He said as he invited her to sit down with him. "Please, we have a lot to talk about and I haven't got all day, Miss _Quinn_."

* * *

Steve was desperate; on top of everything that was going on, now he was on SHIELD's radar. Someone wanted him dead and he had a pretty good idea of whom. The first thing he needed to do was to get rid of the bike and the uniform and 'borrow' a car, one that wouldn't drag too much attention.

After disposing the outfit and securing his shield at the trunk, he headed for the hospital as far as he could. He needed to grab that flash drive and find out what was inside it. He carelessly parked the car and moved into the building. When he reached the vending machine, his stomach knotted. The flash drive wasn't there anymore, it was _gone_. Suddenly, a red head showed up behind his shoulder, chewing a gum very loudly.

* * *

"What?" Harley asked, in shock. "There must be some kind of mistake, that's not my name!" She tried to keep calm, but tears were already starting to form in her eyes.

"Leave us." Pierce merely said, looking at Rumlow.

"Are you sure, sir?" Rumlow had a cautious tone to his voice.

"Of course. I'm sure Miss Quinn will cooperate, won't you?" He looked at her, amused by her desperation.

"Stop calling me that!" She said, threatening.

"Should I get the asset ready just in case, sir?" Rumlow still hadn't left the room. Harley didn't listen to Pierce's answer, there was a lot going on in her mind and she needed to get out of that nightmare. "Oh, and don't worry agent Rumlow, we'll discuss the details of you and your team's incompetence later." After a brief moment of silence, the door closed behind her but she didn't move; the chair was still pulled, waiting for her to sit down.

"I'll go straight to the point, Miss Quinn." Pierce started as Harley shut her eyes closed as hard as she could. "Last night, the only person who knew your true identity was erased from the map. _Boom!"_ Pierce did a firing movement with his hand, imitating a gun _._ "That simple. A huge shame, if you ask me."

"Clearly he wasn't the only one who knew." Harley said, opening her eyes and fighting the urge to jump on his neck. She could do that, especially now that she had a pretty good idea of who mentored Nick's assassination, but she wanted an explanation first.

"His mistake was to entrust _me_ with your dirty little secret. The thing is, he never documented any of your history in our system. There's basically nothing there. I was wondering why he wouldn't do it, after all, agent Romanoff's past, for example, it's all included there." Pierce's gaze met Harley's eyes. "But then I realized… in what position would SHIELD stand if someone found out they had just recruited one of the most dangerous and wanted criminals of Gotham City? Makes sense he'd keep that off the records, especially when you're considerate a dead woman and a menace."

"What do ya want from me, you sick bastard?" Harley was about to pass out. She understood exactly what he was doing. Pierce was going to reveal her identity, let out all of her secrets then Batman would come running to Washington and she would be thrown back at Arkham in no time.

"The same thing Nick wanted." He stood up, standing closer to her. "Your services."

"But I'm already a SHIELD agent, you idiot!" Harley yelled. "I might have not done any missions yet, but I'm already working for ya!"

Pierce laughed again, staring at her as if she was the dumbest person he's ever met. "You're not at SHIELD's headquarters, Miss Quinn. We're known as HYDRA, an organization who works for the sake of the future."

Harley stopped and stared at Pierce, her anger almost too huge to be contained. Images from the Smithsonian started to appear in her mind. "Bullshit! You're that Nazi Science Rogue Division that Captain America fought against in World War 2!"

"An educated clown, I'm impressed!" Pierce mocked her. "Nice to know you've already done your homework, Miss Quinn. It'll be easier for you to fit in here that way." He turned his back on her but she was already exploding.

In a quick movement, she jumped passing her hands to her front from under her legs, grabbing Pierce by his neck. She heard an alarm sound but she ignored it; she was more focused on strangling the jerk who thought it would be a good idea to provoke her. Before she could finish what she started, the door slammed open behind her.

Harley felt something grab her arm from behind, twisting it. She screamed, the pain was agonizing and caused her to loose the grip on Pierce's neck. Before she could turn to face whoever just broke her arm and interrupted her precious moment, she was grabbed by the neck and was raised from her feet. The grip was tight and really strong, what caused her to shut her eyes as she struggled to breathe. In a defense move, Harley grabbed the arm of the attacker with both of her hands only to feel a cold sensation. She opened her eyes at the touch of that stiff surface and what she saw would definitely cause her to scream again if that huge man with the metal arm wasn't grabbing her by the throat.

* * *

"Going after him is a dead end; I know, I've tried." Natasha said, holding up the flash drive. "Like you said, he's a ghost story."

"Well, let's find out what the ghost wants." Steve said, determined. "Should we call Claire?"

Natasha looked at him, surprised. "I don't know, why would we do that?"

"Well, she's pretty close to you and was close to Fury, maybe she'll want to find out what's going on. And if we're under SHIELD's radar, she probably is too." Steve had been worried about Claire ever since the elevator incident, but his priority was to get the flash drive back.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Steve." Natasha said, starting to make her way towards the exit, but then she suddenly stopped.

"Well, I'm not. You didn't see her face last night. She was pretty shaken, ready to take manners into her own hands. She looked… aggressive." Steve waited for Natasha to say something, but she was standing by the door, clearly lost in thoughts. "Did you talk to her today?"

"I called her last night after I left here, but she didn't answer." To the sound of those words, Natasha realized that Harley could, in fact, be in danger. "Oh, no!"

"What?" Steve asked, worried.

"You better have a ride, we'll need to go to a few places."

* * *

"Hello, can I help you?" The young blonde asked, smiling.

"Yeah, I need to talk to one of the nurses. Her name is Claire Hogue." Natasha said, hoping that Harley would be there.

"I'm sorry but she's not available. She called in sick this morning." The blonde didn't seem to buy the excuse either, but Natasha wasn't going to share her thoughts with a stranger.

"Alright, thanks." She made her way back to the car where Steve was waiting, leaving the blonde with a confused look.

"Is she okay?" Steve asked, as soon as Natasha entered the vehicle.

"I don't know. They said she called in sick this morning but I'm not buying that story at all." Natasha was also concerned. "We need to find her, but first we need to know what's in this thing. Drive us to the mall, I got an idea." She said, pulling up her hood.

* * *

It was getting dark already and the pain on her arm only grew worse as the hours passed. The poor illumination of the room wasn't exactly helping either.

"He's not going to get intimidated by your angry face, if that's what you're planning." One of the doctors said as he checked up Harley's arm. She was staring at the other side of the room, her expression as if she was ready to kill.

"He broke my damn shoulder!" She said, not taking her eyes away from the man standing across the room; he had his arms crossed in front of his chest and was also keeping his gaze upon her. He had a long hair that fell in front of his eyes, his clothes were black and he had several weapons attached to it. His metal arm was the only shining spot on where he was standing. Although Harley couldn't see because of the mask he was wearing, she knew he had a smirk on his lips while watching her.

"Dislocated, actually. There's no fracture here, so you can rest assured." The doctor finished to patch her up.

" _Rest assured_? How do ya expect me to rest when the guy who killed my boss last night and tried to kill _me_ earlier today, is standing right there across the room?" Harley pointed at the man, making the doctor roll his eyes and stand up.

"If they wanted you dead, I'm sure that's how you'd be right now. For now, just try to keep your arm still. It should be fine in a couple of days." The doctor grabbed his suitcase and headed out for the exit, leaving a perplexed Harley and the intimidating assassin alone in the room.

After the doctor left, Harley avoided contact with the man; she was actually starting to feel uncomfortable by the whole scenario. Deciding that she didn't want to put up with that situation anymore, she stood up and started to make her way to the door as well.

"Where do you think you're going?" A muffled voice asked.

Harley froze for a moment, but she wouldn't let herself be intimidated by the suddenly talking assassin. She turned around to face the man before answering. "Away."

"With who's authority?" He asked, not moving from the far end of the room.

"There is no authority present here, so I figured it wouldn't be an issue." Once she started treating him as a non-existing threat, Harley thought she could be on top of the situation.

"I would sit back in that chair if I was you." He said, intimidating.

"Well, I still have one arm and two legs left for you to break, so why don't you make me?" She teased.

He let out a small laugh; it was all very amusing to him apparently. "They would have no use for you if I decided to do that. But then again, nothing's stopping me."

"So why don't ya come here and show me your worst, cyborg-dude?" Harley didn't care that she was walking on very thin ice at that point. She actually wanted a fair fight with him, just so she could smack him at least once for killing Fury.

"You've got some nerve, I'll give you that." He said with that muffled voice. "Or maybe you're just insane."

That was it; the tipping point of her temper. They were not going to treat her like a lunatic. She managed to get close enough to him in a high speed, ready to kick his face, but of course, he saw it coming. In a quick movement, he pinned her into the wall, using his metal arm to tighten the grip on her injured shoulder.

"You should start obeying if you want to survive here." He was really close to her, his mask almost touching her face, but she concentrated only in his eyes. They were cold and penetrating, a light tone of blue coloring them. But there was something else in there; she could feel it.

"Who are you? What are you so afraid of?" She asked before even processing the question.

It clearly caught him off guard, as he widened his eyes and loosened up the grip on her shoulder. That gave Harley the opportunity to kick him in the stomach and punch his face as hard as she could. The mask flew away from his face due to Harley's hit. Instead of coming at her to break the rest of her bones, he remained in the shadows. As hard as she tried, she wasn't able to see his face.

Before they could do anything, a STRIKE agent entered the room holding a gun. "Mister Pierce is requesting your immediate assistance. He's at his house. Don't be late." The agent said, not even looking at Harley, who was still against the wall.

The assassin headed out for the exit, not even bothering on picking up the mask. He simply lowered his head and left the room. Harley remained still, taking her time to process what she had just asked the man. It came to her out of nowhere, but she knew it meant something. He got shaken by it and didn't even tried to hurt her after that. Suddenly the urge to get out of that place started to disappear from Harley's mind.


	8. Chapter 8

_This is a rather longer chapter than the others; also, things get a little heavy by the end of it. Hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 8: A Horrifying Experience**

The Winter Soldier sat there, in the dark, and waited for Pierce to show up. He could hear the noise of someone moving things around in the next room so he removed his gun from the holster and put it on the table, just in case; even though he wouldn't kill anyone unless he was told to, he decided to be prepared.

After a while, Pierce finally showed up, but didn't noticed him immediately. He opened his fridge and grabbed something, then turned around staring at him, surprised.

 _"What, you thought I was going to knock on the door or ring the doorbell to get inside your house?"_ The Soldier thought, irritated, but his face remained unexpressive. He wouldn't dare to voice his thoughts around Pierce, or else his punishments would be a hundred times worse than they already were.

"I'm going to go, Mr. Pierce. You need anything before I leave?" A woman's voice was heard, though the Soldier couldn't see her. She was probably the one making the noises before.

"No, it's fine Renata, you can go home." Pierce answered her, tense, not taking his eyes away from the Soldier.

"Okay, night-night."

"Good night." Pierce said as the door closed and they were alone. "Want some milk?" Pierce asked after a moment, the mockery on his voice making sure to be noticed. The Soldier remained quiet, simply studying the man in front of him.

Pierce poured himself a glass of milk, returning to his usual mandatory-self. "The timetable has moved. Our window is limited." He said, taking a sip from the glass and approaching the table, sitting in front of the Soldier. He could see the marks on Pierce's neck from the attempt he suffered earlier. It almost cost the Soldier to smile. "Two targets, Level Six. They already cost me Zola. I want confirmed death in 10 hours."

Before the Soldier could respond, the woman returned, this time she was able to be seen.

"Sorry, Mr. Pierce, I… I forgot my…" She looked right at the Soldier, both confused and terrified. "Phone." She turned her questioning look to Pierce.

"Oh, Renata." He said, grabbing the gun from the table. "I wish you would've knocked." Before the woman could even move, Pierce turned around and shot her two times; she only had time to let out a scream before collapsing on the floor, dead.

"I'll take care of the body, as for you…" He turned to face the Soldier one more time, as if the interruption never happened. "Do what you have to and don't fail me. You'll find the files at the base. You know the way out." Pierce stood up and disappeared from sight.

* * *

The scene kept repeating inside of the Soldier's mind; the woman's scream echoing in his ears. It wasn't part of his nature to feel sorry for his victims, it was something he never learned; he was taught the exact opposite. But the fact that she didn't represented any kind of threat or danger bugged him the most. She was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time and that had cost her her life. Instead of going back to base, he decided to sit on a rooftop to think for a moment.

The murder he had just witnessed wasn't the only thing bothering him. It was that question, that damn question which he had no idea of how to answer it. _"Who are you?"_ The face of that injured girl reappeared in his head; her eyespinned on his and her worried expression unbalancing him almost immediately.

He had no idea of who he was. They never called him by any name that wasn't ' _the asset'_ or the _Winter Soldier._ Until the question came, it didn't bothered him not knowing anything about himself. He was HYDRA's fist and that was enough for him. But that girl was the first one to care, even if it was just curiosity or the adrenaline, she dared to ask.

* * *

Harley tossed and turned on the bed. She was glad that they were not tying her up anymore but still wasn't enough to make her feel comfortable. The fact that she tried to kill Pierce earlier wasn't going to smile at her in the future and the dislocated shoulder was probably not the only punishment she would receive. Deciding that she wouldn't be able to get any sleep, Harley stood up and headed for the door. She was still wearing the same clothes since the hospital and was dying for a shower, but mostly, she was starving. She banged on the door, knowing that someone was probably guarding it.

"What does a gal have to do around here to get some food?" She asked, not even caring of how it would sound.

"I can think of a few things." She heard Rollins's resentful voice from the other side. "But since you almost broke my damn nose, no matter what you'll do, I would just let you starve to death."

"Oh, come on, big guy!" Harley felt really amused. "Ya not gonna hold a grudge against me, right? I only did it because I was defending myself, it wasn't personal." Before she had time to pull his strings a little further, the door slammed open.

"Turn around." He said, unexpressive, pointing a gun at her. Harley was ready to break something else on his body if she needed to, but he merely put the handcuffs on her wrists and pushed her outside of the room.

"Where are ya taking me?" She asked.

"You said you wanted food." His robotic voice answered, not even looking at her.

He led her to what it was supposed to be a small cafeteria; there were a few tables and a place at the center of the room where people could serve themselves with food. Harley went to grab a tray, Rollins always on her tail.

"Who let you out of your cell?" Rollins said, what caused Harley to turn her head to see whom he was talking to. "I asked you a question!" Harley was about to make fun of how intimidating he was trying to sound until she saw the man with the metal arm sitting on a table far from them. He had his mask on again, what caused Harley to get very frustrated.

"I never went to my cell; I just got back from Pierce's house. I need to study these files, plus I was hungry. Do you have a problem with that?" The Soldier asked, making Rollins cringe. He hated those STRIKE agents and frankly, he didn't care if they would beat him up for answering back like that. He didn't took too long to notice the girl; she was standing there with her tray, not taking her eyes away from him. Before he had time to think, the question was already coming out of his covered mouth. "Why don't you go back to your post and I supervise the girl for you? I'm sure she's the last person you want to be around with after your little… _incident_." He mocked and the girl let out a small laugh.

"I don't think you realize how bad this can end if you keep pushing me like that." Rollins said, still trying to sound as he meant business. The Soldier stood up, walking closer to where they were standing; Rollins ready to pull out his gun. The whole situation just made all the stress Harley went through earlier worth it.

"Are you willing to show me or do you prefer to accept my generous offer?" The Soldier kept his cold eyes on Rollins, and since they were the only visible thing on his face, it made him look even scarier, until the agent gave up and moved his hand away from the gun. The Soldier wasn't carrying any weapons and was still able to intimidate.

"I'll make sure to tell Pierce exactly what's going on. Maybe it's time for another session in that chair of yours." Rollins said, walking towards the door. "Don't let her get away from your sight. She needs to be back in that room before someone notices. If she tries to escape, shoot her. I'll be watching the doors so don't try anything funny." He advised, not daring to glance behind.

"Wow, all that trouble just to get a few minutes alone with me? I should be flattered!" Harley said, teasing. "But then again, I always made an impression on the murdering kind. My name's Harley, by the way!"

"Stop playing around and listen." He said, standing closer to her, lowering his voice so no one but her could hear. "Why did you asked me those questions earlier? What do you know about me?"

Harley tensed for a moment before answering it. "If I asked you it's because I have no idea, obviously." She tried to sound calm, but he was very intimidating. "Why don't you take that thing off? How are you supposed to eat?" Harley asked, trying to change the subject. She wanted to see his face so badly and to think she had the chance earlier made her cringe.

"I already ate." He simply said.

She noticed he was still waiting for a decent answer. "Look, I know we had a very bad start. But apparently I'm not the only one here against my will; you hate these people too. I see the way they control you, trust me, I know how it feels like to have someone…"

"Stop it!" He yelled, what caused Harley to jump. "Stop pretending to know me!"

"I'm _trying_ to get to know you!" Harley said in response.

"Why? Why do you care so much?" He wasn't used to that kind of treatment, it was making him question things, something he was not supposed to.

"I just wanna talk, maybe I can help you! Isn't that what you want? Why would you take Rollins out the way if not for that?" Harley was trying to make him trust her, something she learned after dealing with some unstable cases back in the asylum. But she never came across anything like this before.

"I don't need help!" He said, dropping the tray from her hands.

"That's what you are afraid of." She whispered.

"What?" He aggressively lifted up her chin, causing her to stare at him.

"You're afraid of what's beyond this. You are afraid to find out that the world is a bigger place than you think. You are afraid to keep doing this for the rest of your life." She said, not breaking the eye contact, their bodies almost touching. "What is that chair Rollins mentioned?"

"Enough!" He said, letting her go. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say. I don't want to hear your voice ever again! I made a huge mistake talking to you. If you ever come near me again, I'll kill you!" He said, putting an end to the discussion. He grabbed the files from the table he was sitting and marched to the door, leaving Harley and her smashed tray behind. He passed by Rollins not even bothering to look at him and made his way back to the cell.

Standing there, not being able to move after what just happened, she felt that familiar feeling she promised herself she'd never have to experience again. _Rejection_. She didn't know that man, his story, nothing, but she knew in her guts that he wanted to get out of that place. It was tearing him apart although he never showed it. When tears started to form in her eyes, Harley decided to go back to her room; her appetite was long gone and she would still have to deal with Rollins on her way there.

* * *

The mornings usually started earlier when you needed to stay on shape. After the alarm rang at 5:30 am, Sam put on his athletic suit and went for his usual jog. It was off to a great start, so after a couple of hours he decided to go back home for a shower and a decent breakfast. As Sam entered the apartment, he went straight for the fridge, dying for a cold drink. Before he could take a sip from the orange juice, he heard someone at the door.

"Hey, man." With a confused look, he greeted the familiar face. The Captain was standing there, his face all dirty with a woman by his side, equally wrecked.

"I'm sorry about this. We need a place to lay low." Steve answered, worried.

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." The woman said, struggle in her voice.

"Not everyone." Sam let them both inside, looking around the neighborhood before closing the door. Whatever just happened with those two, it was big, and Sam didn't know if he was ready for what was about to come.

* * *

"You can't ask me to do this!" Harley yelled, tied up to a chair as Pierce glared at her, furiously.

"But I am, Miss. Quinn, and you better do it unless you want your old friend from Gotham to pay you a one-way ticket to the madhouse." He said as he walked around her, impatient. Rumlow and Rollins were also in the room, their guns pointed at her at all times. Pierce was taking extra care around the unpredictable clown-girl after their incident.

"I am not turning against them! I won't kill them for you, Nick trusted those people!" Harley couldn't believe what she was being forced to do. One thing was being told that HYDRA recruited you, another thing was being ordered to kill fellow SHIELD members in the name of that Organization. She would never be able to point a gun at Natasha or Steve and pull the trigger.

"You have no choice here; you might want to remember that. But don't worry, you are only there for support, the hard work will be handled by stronger hands." Pierce continued his walk, making Harley starting to feel dizzy.

"By the _asset's_ hands, I suppose?" She asked, sarcastic, what caused Pierce to stop and stare at her. "Why don't you call him by his name? He must have one, might want to remind you that he's a person, not just your private little killing machine!" Once she started, the words kept coming and by the time she finished her sentence, it was already too late.

"That's very interesting, Miss. Quinn. I guess you _do_ have a thing for the unstable and murdering kind." Pierce mocked her, causing the STRIKE agents to laugh. "But may I remind _you_ that you're here only to obey and follow my orders, not to be his personal therapist. His name doesn't concern you, and I'll make sure to keep your contact strictly limited from now on. No more little _get-togethers_ in the cafeteria."

Harley looked at Rollins to the sound of Pierce's last words and the agent had a triumphal smile, delighted by the situation. Rumlow wasn't looking any different.

"You are a bunch of sick people." She whispered.

"I guess you are among your usual crowd, then. You have your mission, now go and get ready, we don't have much time." Pierce said, final, leaving the room before she could protest and extend the conversation.

* * *

Everything was working out fine so far. Steve and Natasha were taking care of Sitwell on the roof and all that Sam had to do was wait. When he spotted the man falling, he activated the bag back and the wings spread out. He grabbed the man before he could hit the ground and returned him to the rooftop. Sitwell did in fact got scared and started to cooperate. In the matter of a few minutes, he let out all the information they needed to stop the killing that would come.

Steve and Natasha dragged the man down to street level and pushed him in the car. Sam took the wheel while Steve sat on the passenger sit and Natasha stayed on the back with Sitwell, her gun pointed at him at all times. They needed to stop the launch of those carriers before it was too late.

"Take the highway; it'll be faster to get back to SHIELD's base." Steve advised.

"Roger that, Cap." Sam replied as he started the car, this time, prepared for whatever would come their way.

* * *

Harley was led to the back of a van with black windows, STRIKE monitoring her every move. They didn't gave her any guns, instead kept theirs pointed at her the whole time. Before she entered the contained space, she was able to see the Soldier, this time he wore goggles along with the mask, entering a different vehicle, carrying a huge amount of weapons. Her stomach gave a knot; Steve and Natasha wouldn't stand a chance against that, she was sure of it.

"Now, listen here. You will cover the bridge, anyone tries to escape, you shoot them. Don't think we'll just give you a gun and leave it that, there will be STRIKE agents monitoring you constantly, so don't try to play smart or else you'll regret it." Rumlow threatened, handing her the small pistol.

 _"I'm already in this deep, might as well just cooperate."_ Harley thought, unexpressive, grabbing the gun from his hand.

The van was parked on one end of the bridge, blocking the traffic. They kept still there for a few minutes. It wasn't long until Harley started to notice movement from a distance. Suddenly, she spotted the Soldier on top of a speeding car, breaking the window with his metal arm, grabbing the man inside and tossing him in front of a truck. At that moment, the STRIKE agents opened the back doors of the van and got into position aiming for any potential threats. Rumlow, Rollins and a couple more agents took the front and went into a different direction, leaving Harley and a few others behind.

She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the Soldier jumping back on top of that speeding car after being tossed out from it. The car was approaching the van, uncontrollably. In a quick movement, the Soldier shove his metal hand inside of the car's roof, wrenching the steering wheel and then he jumped back at the jeep that was following them up close. The vehicle started to crash against the bridge, forcing three bodies to jump from inside. At that moment, when she saw Steve, Natasha and another guy she'd never seen before fighting for their lives, she knew what to do.

With the gun in hand, she knocked down the agent who was behind her first. By the time the others noticed, she had already fired her gun, killing a significant number of enemies. When the two remaining agents turned to fire against her, she jumped above them, kicking one in the head and tripping the other, firing at them, taking a few of their guns and immediately making a run for it. When she was about to reach Natasha and Steve, an explosion made her back away and hide behind a car. From the little she was able to see, someone flew away from the bridge after the hit.

"Harl? What are you doing here?" Natasha yelled in the middle of the gun fires as she joined Harley behind the same car.

"What are ya talking about Red? I've been here the whole time!" Harley said as she fired back at the enemies, the Soldier marching in front of them with a grenade launcher in hands.

"Quick, follow me!" Natasha yelled as the Soldier launched a grenade towards the car. Harley proceeded to jump for cover behind Natasha, hoping that they would live through that. They ducked and jumped above a few cars trying to get cover but the shooting wouldn't stop. When they ran behind a silver vehicle, another grenade was launched. In a matter of seconds Natasha grabbed Harley and they jumped, her little grappling hook securing them on the floor as the car exploded above them.

"Oh I _hate_ those things!" Harley yelled in the middle of the wrecks, running alongside Natasha, cringing at the memories of Batman often pulling her out of danger with the same gadget.

Apparently, Red noticed that they were watching the other side of the bridge, waiting for them to appear from under it. "Stay here and don't move until I say so!" Natasha said, quickly moving forward before Harley could protest. She had only a small advantage since he didn't noticed her location, so she fired against the Winter Soldier, trusting in her aiming. It hit him, since he ducked away, disappearing from sight. That gave the chance for Natasha and Harley run to a different position, trying to get a better cover.

When the Soldier reappeared, he no longer had his googles on and seemed even more deadly than usual, as he fired towards Natasha uncontrollably.

"I think you made him angry, Red!" Harley shouted as she joined Natasha behind the tripped bus to fire against the enemies.

"Don't worry, he owes me!" She said, grabbing Harley and running away from the location, eventually ducking behind a few parked vehicles, avoiding being shot in the head.

"Where's Cap?" Harley asked desperate accompanying Natasha.

"I don't know, but I think he's okay, right now we need a strategy; the Winter Soldier is coming for us!" Natasha replied, running out of breath.

 _"Winter Soldier, huh?"_ Harley thought as Natasha pulled out a device from her pocket.

"Here's what we're gonna do… I'll record my voice in here, hopefully it'll drag his attention, and you're gonna put this recorder behind that car and then you hide! Got it?" Natasha spoke quickly, but clear enough for Harley to follow.

"Got it!" Harley answered.

"And take these as well, just in case." Natasha handed her some small disks.

"What do I do with them?" Harley asked, annoyed.

"Just press it and then throw them immediately, they emanate a powerful shock wave, so be sure to aim right before you toss them!" Natasha said, not wasting any more time to record her lines. When she finished, she set it on repeat and handed it over to Harley.

As Red went to an opposite direction, Harley put the device in place and then hid behind a not so far away car. She could hear gunshots coming from a distance, which meant the remaining agents were dealing with Captain America and his new friend not too far from them. It took a while for something to happen, until a police car was blown away near of where she was hiding.

She dared to raise her head just enough to see the back of Soldier, making his walk towards the sound of the device. Harley knew it was a dumb move, but she started to follow him, hoping to get a chance for a surprise attack, eventually hiding behind a few cars and watching him from a distance. She saw him kneeling and pulling a small grenade from his armory, sliding it under the vehicles.

The explosion caused Harley to get away from her cover, ready to attack, but Natasha was faster. She was already on top of the Soldier, trying to strangle him with a wire. Although Red was a remarkable fighter, she was still no match for him, so he grabbed Natasha and tossed her against the car parked in front of them.

That was the cue Harley needed to take advantage from, so she jumped on top of the vehicle Red was just tossed against and threw the small disk on the Soldier's arm before he could fire against Natasha.

"Come on, Red!" Harley helped her stand and they ran for their lives as fast as they could.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" Natasha shouted at the civilians, Harley right behind her. When they were reaching a safe location, Harley tripped but Natasha was the on the ground after the gunshot's sound.

"Red!" Harley said, alarmed, helping Natasha to lean against the car, blood dripping from her shoulder. "Shit! Hold on Red! Don't you die on me!" Harley was desperate, helping Natasha to apply pressure on the wound. She had never seen Red so scared before and it all got worse when the Winter Soldier climbed on top of a nearby car, pointing his grenade launcher at them. Harley thought she saw him hesitating for a moment, but that thought was pushed out of the way when Steve came running with his shield, ready to confront his new foe.

As the two soldiers were engaging a fierce battle, Harley concentrated on moving Natasha away from the danger zone. She put Red's non-injured arm around her neck and guided her behind a nearby truck.

"I'm fine Harl! Go help Steve!" Natasha said, weak.

Harley took a quick look to the situation before turning back to Red. "Nah, I'm sure he's doing fine by himself." She wasn't planning on dying by the hands of the Winter Soldier any time soon.

"You don't have a choice Harley, go!" Natasha yelled.

"I'm sick of people telling me that! Of course I have a choice and right now my choice is to take care of your stubborn ass. You're bleeding out, dummy!" Harley replied, irritated.

They kept watching the fight from a distance, Harley still held her hand on top of Natasha's wound. It was getting more intense at every minute until Steve reached out for his shield that was stuck in the back of a van. After a few blows, Cap was able to pin the Soldier's metal elbow, grabbing the man by his face, turning and tossing him above his head, the Soldier's mask flying away from his face.

When the man turned around to face Steve, everything stopped. Harley didn't even noticed that Red was no longer there with her. Harley was still close enough to the soldiers, so she was able to see and listen everything clearly. Her eyes widened as she heard those words coming from the Captain.

"Bucky?" He asked, shocked and paralyzed.

"Who the hell is Bucky?" The Soldier answered, aiming his gun at Steve. The Captain didn't even moved; luckily his friend, who apparently could fly, kicked the Winter Soldier out of the way before he could shoot.

The Soldier stood up quickly, hesitating before pointing his gun at Steve again. This time a grenade, launched straight at him, was what caused him to abort the mission. Steve and Harley immediately turned their heads to find Natasha holding the launcher, barely able to stand. When they looked back as the smoke was being cleared, the Winter Soldier was already gone.

Before Harley could get to either of them, STRIKE team's vehicles surrounded them, agents bursting out from the vans, pointing out their guns at the four people in the center.

"Drop the shield, Cap!" Rumlow took the front, kicking Steve's legs so he would kneel. "Get on your knees, now!"

Rollins approached the Captain aiming the gun at his head as Natasha and Sam were being taken inside of one of the vehicles.

"Not here. Not here!" Rumlow yelled at him. He then turned to Harley who was also on her knees with several men aiming at her. "As for this one…" He said, kicking her stomach. "Take her back to base. She'll need a special treatment after the little show she put on."

The agent forced Harley to stand, her stomach still hurting from Brock's kick and was handcuffed and tossed inside of a speeding car, not being able to see where the others were being taken.

Her head wouldn't stop, she couldn't believe in what just happened. It was him, Bucky Barnes, the handsome soldier from the Smithsonian and Captain America's best friend. Whatever it was that was done to the poor Soldier, it only raised several more questions about him than she already had in mind.

* * *

It was already nightfall when Rumlow and Rollins came back to the location; this time they were all directed to an abandoned bank. By the look on the agents' faces, they failed to follow their orders. That could only mean that Steve, Natasha and the flying man were still alive. But Harley wasn't in a position to feel relieved.

"You nearly did it, didn't you, you little bitch?" Pierce said as he smacked her face again. "You risked the entire operation; you jeopardized the whole mission!" Pierce shouted, out of control, and Harley knew that he just hadn't killed her yet because he wanted to make her suffer. But she wasn't scared; on the contrary. The discovery about Bucky only gave her more reason to stay strong and help him at any cost.

"You think it would be any different? You put a gun in my hand and just expect me to follow your orders like a little pet?" She yelled back. "I promised myself a long time ago that I would never, _ever_ , let a man hurt me again! The only reason why you still have both hands it's because you're scared enough of me and tied me up to this damn chair!" If he thought he could scare her by yelling, he'd have to work harder than that. She have had enough of threats and abuse in her life; she wasn't going to endure any more of that torture.

"Scared?" Pierce asked, sarcastic. "Dear girl, you have _no idea_ of what I'm capable of. You better get ready because things are going to get rougher for you around here." He stood in front of her, a sadistic look in his eyes.

"Sir, we have a problem with the asset!" A man came running inside of the small room.

"I'll be on my way." He answered, then turned to Harley. "Time for some educational time, Miss. Quinn. I'm sure you'll enjoy this. Bring her along!" Pierce ordered Rumlow and took the front, walking out the door.

* * *

"About damn time!" They all stopped as the wounded former Director sat up in his bed to get a better view. After Fury listed all of his numerous injuries, Natasha, who was receiving medical attention on her wound, was the first to question.

"They cut you open, your heart stopped!" She was having a hard time believing he would keep something like that from her.

"Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress; didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it." Nick simply answered as if it faking his own death wasn't a big deal.

"Why all the secrecy?" This time Steve was the one who asked, also not helping but feeling a little betrayed. "Why not just tell us?"

"Any attempt on the Director's life had to look successful." Maria Hill replied.

"Can't kill you if you're already dead… Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust." Fury made a pause. "Speaking of which, where's Claire?"

"They got her." Steve said, causing Nick to look at him, confused. "HYDRA. And not just her, they also have Bucky. I need to get them out of there!" That was the main concern on Steve's mind at that point. He had no idea of how he'd do it, Bucky clearly didn't remembered him.

"One thing at a time, Cap. We still have those carriers to stop." Sam spoke for the first time after they encountered with Fury.

"We may have a way to do that." Hill said, reaching for a small suitcase on top of a counter.

* * *

Harley was being guided through the bank corridors with Pierce in front of her and Rumlow following them behind. Her wrists were sore from the tightness of the handcuffs. They reached a huge safe where an amount of STRIKE agents was in position, aiming their guns at a single direction.

"Sir, he's unstable. Erratic." A man said as they passed by the entrance of the safe.

Pierce walked among the agents, making a hand gesture that caused them to lower their guns. Harley's throat became dry when she saw the scene. Bucky was sitting on a strange looking chair, shirtless, and for the first time, she was able to read his expression; he looked lost, scared and confused all at once. It was heartbreaking.

Rumlow grabbed Harley's arm and took her to a corner of the room, keeping the grip on her.

"Mission report." Pierce demanded.

Bucky's expression remained the same, he wasn't even blinking. Harley wasn't sure if he even knew what was going on.

"Mission report, now!" Pierce repeated, a little more aggressive this time.

Still no answer. Harley's heart started to beat faster, she was feeling that something bad was about to happen. Pierce leaned forward, studying Bucky's face. Suddenly, the sound of the smack caused Harley to jump. The Soldier began to turn his head to face forward, slowly come back to reality. At that point, Harley couldn't hold back the tears forming in her eyes anymore.

"The man on the bridge." Bucky said, his voice lower than usual. "Who was he?"

All that Harley wanted to do at that moment was to scream the truth; she owed nothing to those people, all she needed to do was to help that poor man.

"You met him earlier this week on another assignment." Pierce answered, giving the question little importance.

 _"Bastard!"_ Harley thought, about to explode again.

"I knew him." He looked back at Pierce, who was grabbing a little stool, sitting in front of the Soldier, ready to manipulate his mind a little longer.

"Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped the century.  
And I need you to do it one more time." Bucky's stare failed for a bit as he still had that lost expression on his face. "Society's at a tipping point between order and chaos. And tomorrow morning, we're gonna give it a push. But, if you don't do your part, I can't do mine. And HYDRA can't give the world the freedom it deserves."

Bucky looked up at Pierce, apparently not paying attention to what was just said. "But I knew him." The ghost of a weak and vulnerable smile appeared on his lips. That was too much for Harley to endure, it was just too cruel.

Pierce studied him for a moment and then turned to the doctors. "Prep him." To the sound of those words, Bucky's expression turned into one of the saddest faces Harley has ever laid eyes on. They could't be doing that to him.

"He's been out of cryo freeze too long." One of the doctors responded.

"Then wipe him and start over." Pierce simply announced.

"Wipe him?" Harley couldn't keep quiet anymore, even though Rumlow was still holding her arm. "Wait a minute, you can't do this!" Brock tightened the grip on her as she grew more agitated.

Bucky suddenly looked at her, only now noticing her presence. It didn't make the situation any easier. There was nothing she could do about it, only watch. She stopped fighting the tears as they ran free across her face. They were all monsters; sick and deranged people who had pleasure on toying with other people's minds. Suddenly that familiar face appeared on her mind, his wide red grin laughing at her.

They leaned Bucky until he was touching the backrest of the chair, his now wet eyes still on Harley's. They put something on his mouth and then turned on the device. His arms began to be held by the metal holders of the chair and his head was pushed back violently. Then, two surfaces were lowered until each one covered a part of his face. An electric sound was heard, followed by Bucky's screams.

Harley was paralyzed, her eyes and her mouth wide open as she watched that horrifying scene. Rumlow had to drag her out of the room by force, she couldn't even blink. Once outside, the tears kept coming as Pierce approached her with an amused expression. "Feeling sentimental?"

"What kind of people are you?" She said, her voice trembling. "How could you order something like that?" She began to raise her voice. "How can you stand there and watch as he's screaming for help? Don't you see? _That's a person in there!_ " She yelled, pointing to the safe's now closed door.

Pierce merely sighed, turning around and leaving Harley and Rumlow behind. She was crying louder now, mixing thoughts about what she just witnessed and her own experiences with mind manipulation taking it's tool on her.

Brock didn't said a word as he guided her to the room; if Harley didn't knew he was a bad guy, she'd say he also got a little shaken by the event. He opened the door, removed her handcuffs and quickly shut the door. She could hear his footsteps disappearing from a distance. There, alone in the dark, Harley finally started to realize who she was dealing with. Pierce was right, she had no idea of what those people were capable of.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9: A Daring Escape**

It was the worst feeling in the world. The Winter Soldier was still numb after they headed for the abandoned bank. He was led to a safe where the damn chair was waiting for him; his mind kept coming back to that moment.

" _Bucky?"_ The Soldier knew he heard that name before; it was not strange to him. But the most intriguing thing was the man who called him by that name. He was also very familiar and the shocked expression on the man's face was still bothering him.

The doctors started to prep him for his usual check-up. His arm needed some slight repairs after the little electric disk that was tossed at him. They could not risk a malfunction at that moment.

The silence filled the room, which was normal since none of the doctors ever talked with him. Usually, that didn't bothered the Soldier, but today was different. He wanted to distract his mind from the images that were starting to appear. They kept coming, clearer each time.

" _Sergeant Barnes."_ The Winter Soldier heard a horrifyingly familiar voice and then he saw the face of a man with glasses staring at him from above. Then the scream and the face of the man from the bridge was loud and clear. _"The procedure has already started."_ He could see blood forming as someone dragged him on the snow. _"You are to be the new fist of HYDRA."_ More doctors lining up around him until he grabbed one by the throat only to feel a painful sting in is chest. _"Put him on ice."_

There was a rush that ran through his veins; he couldn't control the adrenaline that was forming inside of him. The Soldier felt the need to run away, to hurt someone. Before he could notice, all the guards and agents were pointing his guns at him, ready to shoot.

* * *

"Wipe him?" The sound of the girl's voice made the Soldier turn to face her for the first time. He was aware of her presence since she entered the room, but it was hard to concentrate around her. It was best to ignore.

"Wait a minute, you can't do this!" She was desperate and looked really scared. But not for her, for _him._ The sensation that formed inside of the Soldier when tears started to flow from her eyes was something he had never felt before. She still cared about him, even after he almost killed her, more than once. She even stood against him earlier, helping the targets they were supposed to terminate. And now, she was crying, protesting and risking her life for him.

The Soldier didn't spoke, he didn't wanted to make things worse. He knew what was coming as he was being leaned against the cold backrest of the chair; he was going to forget. About the man on the bridge, about the visions, the strange doctor, the snow, and painfully enough, about _her._

* * *

Harley didn't sleep; she was haunted by nightmares and visions the entire night. Bucky's screams were still echoing in her mind, making the situation even worse. She had no idea of what was going to happen to her now, but she didn't care. The only thing she wanted, more than anything, was to break free from that place and take Bucky with her, but the fact that he obviously wouldn't remember her brought Harley back to the sad reality.

Someone banged loudly on the door, causing her to jump. She approached it as Rumlow opened the door's little window.

"You look terrible." He said with that stupid tone. He expected her to reply but she merely stared at him, looking disgusted. "Today's a big day. We're going to make History. So it's only natural that your ass stay in here since you ruined everything yesterday. I just wanted to let you know that when we return, you better be ready. Pierce still has a lot in store for you, sweetie." He widened his smile, trying to intimidate her. She let out a small laugh.

"That's cute." Harley replied, ironic. "You think you're all so scary. But Mister, I've seen scary. And you ain't got his smile." She smirked at him before returning to bed, she was not in the mood for Brock's provocations. Besides, Harley meant every word she said.

* * *

Steve was still lost in his thoughts. He hadn't been able to think straight since his encounter with Bucky. It seemed impossible that his best friend, the one he saw dying right in front of his eyes, was alive and had turned into a killing machine.

"He's gonna be there, you know?" Sam's voice brought Steve back to the present.

"I know." He replied, bitter.

"Look, whoever he used to be… the guy he is now, I don't think he is the kind you save." Sam proceeded, cautiously. "He is the kind you stop."

"I don't know if I can do that." Deep down Steve knew Sam was right, but he couldn't just give up on Bucky. He meant a great deal to him.

"He might not give you a choice. He doesn't know you." Sam understood why Steve would feel conflicted, but they needed to focus on the real danger.

"He will." Steve said, final. He wanted to believe in those words, he needed to try to bring Bucky to surface and bury the Winter Soldier. "Gear up, it's time."

"You're gonna wear that?"

"No. If you're going to fight a war, you got to wear a uniform." Steve said, walking away, more determined than ever.

* * *

There was not much to do in a confined space; Harley knew that from innumerous experiences. But she had also escaped from confinements before. The comparison between escaping from Arkham Asylum and a HYDRA facility almost made Harley laugh. This was no picnic. She had to think harder and plan a strategy if she hoped to escape this place.

Harley knew that Rumlow, Rollins and a majority of the other agents, including Bucky, were off somewhere. That only meant that the place was not heavily guarded as usual. Pierce was also nowhere near, according to Rumlow. This was her chance; she doubted an opportunity like this would ever happen again. Thinking over and over, Harley suddenly remembered Ivy and the idea was formed in her head. Taking a thorough look around the room to see if there were any cameras, she concluded it was safe to proceed.

"Excuse me!" Harley knocked on the door so whoever was guarding the outside would hear her.

"What do you want?" The little window was open revealing an agent she had never seen before.

"Nothing much, really. It's just… I'm feeling kinda lonely in here." She said, soft.

"And why is that my problem?" He asked, but she could see the curiosity starting to show in his eyes.

"I just thought you would keep me company. There's room in here for one more." She winked at him, forcing herself to smile from ear to ear.

"Yeah, they said you were crazy. Now I actually believe them." He said, unlocking the door and entering the room. "They also mentioned how you like a little spanking, too."

"You just read my mind, cowboy." Harley said, backing up a little bit as the agent closed the door behind him and started to get closer.

When he was inches from her, Harley kicked his leg, causing him to kneel. She then punched his face, kneeled his nose, jumped behind him when he tried to grab his gun, holding his arms behind his back and putting her legs around his neck. The agent started to gasp for air, trying to loosen his arms to get Harley away from him. She was concentrating all of her strength in that grip. When the man finally stopped moving, Harley moved away from him.

After checking his vitals twice to make sure he was dead, she removed his clothes, grabbed his pistol gun, a few more bullets just in case and, of course, the door key. She put his uniform on top of her own clothes to look bigger and wrapped her hair under his hat. Then, Harley put the man in the bed, positioning the body with his back facing the door, covering him with the blanket.

Taking a deep breath, Harley unlocked the door and peeked around the corridor. She was not familiar with this new location, but since it was a bank, it shouldn't be too hard to escape from. She pulled out the gun, checking it to see if it was loaded and headed out the room, locking the door behind her. Harley wanted this to be as quiet as possible, if she could avoid shooting anyone it would be better. She figured the corridor was filled with cameras, so she kept her head down at all times. Probably nobody was watching since there was no commotion when the guard entered her room, but she couldn't risk it. She turned around a corridor and found a flight of stairs heading down; there had to be a garage. It was too easy for Harley's taste, but she couldn't stop now.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard voices from the nearby corridor. Harley started to walk a little faster, hoping she could pass unnoticed by the laughing idiots up ahead. Luckily, they were too focused on their conversation about world domination or whatever that Harley was able to proceed without any problem. The path was getting darker, which was a good sign. Keeping her head low as she passed a couple more agents, she finally found what she was looking for: a car. Harley started to search her pockets for a car key, but the only thing she found was a pass card with the agent's identification. Taking extra care now, she approached the vehicle, trying to figure out how to get inside without a key.

"Stanley, what do you think you're doing?" A loud voice made her jump. Harley turned to see who was calling. It was a tough-looking security guard, probably in charge of the parking lot. "You were supposed to be guarding the nutty, not here. Are you taking advantage because the security camera is broken?" The man was trying to intimidate her at any cost. Harley noticed the car keys on the man's jeans.

"Sorry cupcake, but I don't have time for this!" She said, punching the man's throat. When he was down she kicked him again just in case and grabbed his keys. She pressed the alarm and waited for the car's headlights to appear in the darkness. When they did, she ran in its direction, getting inside and starting the vehicle. She approached the panel near the garage door. Harley grabbed the pass card and the door opened. _"Was that as easy as it looked? Oh well, off to my top priority; I have a broken mind to fix!"_ She thought as the car speeded into the streets of Washington.

* * *

"I'm not gonna fight you." The blonde man said, dropping his shield. "You're my friend." He was beaten, bruised and giving up willingly. But that just wasn't enough. The Soldier couldn't stand all those voices and images that were forming in his head. He needed to silence them, plus, he had and assignment to complete. The pain coming from his shoulder wasn't helping, either. The Soldier grabbed the man, knocking him to the ground.

"You're my mission." The Soldier said, punching the man repeatedly as each memory was beginning to surface. "You're… my… mission!"

"Then finish it." The man said, weak, now more injured than before. "Cause I'm with you till… the end of the line."

He stopped. Everything stopped. What was going on? Why was he doing that? Why was he hurting that man? He didn't want to do that anymore, he would end up killing him. He kept staring at the man with his eyes widened; there was something about that last sentence that froze the Soldier completely.

Before realizing it, something hit the carrier right where they were. The ground collapsed, causing the man to fall. The Soldier still could grab the remaining wreckage with his improved arm. Suspended there, watching from above, he saw the man hit the water. He would drown for sure, he was weak and defeated. The Soldier let go of the carrier and dove after the man, still being able to reach him in time. Dragging his unconscious body to land, he stared at him one last time before turning around and disappearing into the unknown.

* * *

Harley didn't really know where to start, but she had a hunch that HYDRA would be trying to take over SHIELD. When she was approaching the headquarters, something made her stop the car immediately. What seemed to be three huge ships were hovering up in the sky, aiming their huge canons at all directions. Harley got out of the car in the middle of the street, where people around her were doing the same thing. Police officers were starting to block the road ahead to prevent people from crossing the path of destruction. Harley removed the agent's uniform and left it in the trunk, keeping only his gun. She knew Bucky was there, possibly Steve and Natasha too. Harley needed a way in, so she turned around and started to run towards the forest, hoping for a shortcut.

Almost running out of breath, what was already bad became worse. The ships started to tear each other to pieces, firing against themselves. Harley stared at the nearest one, her mouth and eyes widened. For a brief moment, she thought she saw a blue and red silhouette hit the water. _"Steve!"_

Without taking another look to the wrecked ship, Harley immediately ran towards the lake, hoping she would be able do something in time. It took her a while to get close, but once she did, Steve was already in land, looking worse than Harley thought. His face was severely bruised and he had bullet wounds across his stomach and chest. It had been an ugly fight, for sure. Only then, she realized that Bucky was probably the one who caused all that damage, and it was also probably the one who brought Steve to safety. _"He remembered."_ Harley thought, a bit of joy and hope lighting her up. Steve coughed, causing Harley to focus on the situation. She needed to get him somewhere safe, but there was no way she could carry him around. Taking her time to think of a solution, a chopper started to land near where they were, the force of the wind causing Harley to fall back a little into the lake.

"Harl?" Natasha suddenly appeared dressed in her Black Widow suit, followed by the flying man from yesterday and agent Hill. "You keep appearing in the weirdest of places… Oh my God!" She was surprised at how injured Steve was. "Sam, give me a hand!" She called the man and together they dragged Steve towards the chopper.

"Can you stand?" Maria asked a now soaking wet Harley, offering her hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Harley replied, holding onto the agent's arm and following them to the chopper.

"Long time no see, Miss Hogue." Harley paralyzed when she heard that voice.

"Nick?" She widened her eyes at the smiling man piloting the plane. "Ya sneaky bald pirate, you were supposed to be dead!"

Fury laughed as the chopper took off. They needed to get Steve to the hospital as fast as they could. Even though the situation wasn't looking very good, Harley felt a warmth growing inside of her. For the first time in days, she was actually feeling safe.

* * *

Steve opened his eyes slowly, accustoming them to the brightness of the hospital room. There was a sound of music playing as he turned his head a bit to find Sam sitting by his bed, asleep.

"On your left." Steve said, still feeling a little weak.

Sam opened his eyes instantly. "You know what the funny thing is?" He asked, smiling. "Even after being out for a week and looking like this, you'd still beat me on a race."

"We'll have to check that out later then, just to make sure." Steve joked.

"How you're feeling?" Sam asked, a little concerned this time.

"I'm fine. Never been this bad before, but I'll live." He answered, vaguely. "Luckily you guys pulled me out before I drowned."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, confused. "I thought it was the girl who saved you."

"What girl?" Now it was Steve who was confused.

"I think her name is Claire." Sam answered as Steve widened his eyes. "I didn't actually had the time to talk with her about it, but she was there by your side, looking soaked. I figured it was because she dove in the lake after you, but I guess not."

"Hey there boys!" A familiar voice came from the door, causing them both to look.

"Speak of the devil." Sam said so only Steve would hear him.

"Claire! I'm so glad you're okay!" Steve said, smiling. "We were really worried about you!"

"Nah, don't bother, I'm a tough gal." Harley said, bubbly. "Right now, you only need to worry about getting well soon so you can get out of that bed."

"Well, I'll leave you two alone; I really need to eat something. See you later man!" Sam said, rising from the chair and leaving the room.

"How are you feeling?" Harley asked, sitting on the same chair Sam was.

"I'll be fine. What about you?" Steve had been worried about what kinds of sick tortures could be inflicted upon Claire during her time being a HYDRA hostage.

"Trust me, I've been through worse." She said, bitter. "Wasn't fun, that's for sure. It'll give me a few more nightmares, but I'll get through it."

"How did you escape?" Steve asked, curious.

"It was surprisingly easy. They must have underestimated me, but I'll admit that security wasn't all that heavy that particular day." She proceeded to explain her 'brilliant' plan, causing Steve to let out a few good laughs.

"Well, at least you got there just in time to get me out of the water. Thanks Claire, I owe you!" He said, taking her hand in his.

"What?" Harley asked, confused. "What are ya talking about, Cap?"

"Sam said you pulled me out the water, that you were there right next to me." Steve stared at her for a moment. "Unless… _Bucky!"_ Steve widened his eyes in shock.

Harley's stomach gave a knot. She knew it had been Bucky, although she didn't actually see it. There was a conflict inside of her that consisted on either she'd tell Steve about the horrors she witnessed being performed on Bucky or she'd just omit it. In the end, Harley chose the ladder. Steve was already suffering just from seeing Bucky on the highway; he didn't need to know about the tortures he had been put through. It wouldn't change the situation they were in, so why causing him even more pain?

"He was there with you, wasn't he?" Steve asked, bringing Harley out of her thoughts. "You recognized him? Did you ever talk to each other?" Steve was getting agitated.

"Ok, first of all, calm down Cap! Second, yes, he was there. I didn't know who he was until you pulled off his mask that day on the highway. Also, we had a couple brief conversations but…" Harley stopped to think on how to proceed. "I don't think it was enough for him to remember any of it. There was a lot going on around that place." She said, staring at the ground.

Steve kept silent after that. He was probably thinking where Bucky could be right now, just like Harley was. There wasn't much options or clues on where to find him, it wasn't something she could do on her own. Besides, now that Steve was recovering it would be better to leave that quest up to him. Compared to Steve and Bucky's history together, Harley was merely just a stranger.

"I'm not Peggy's nurse anymore, you know?" Harley said, breaking the silence. "After being away for so long, they moved her to a different sector. Her mind deterioration got worse, too. Her family is here now, at least."

"What a shame. Poor Peggy! Well, the important thing is that she's surrounded with her loved ones." Steve replied, a bit sad. "So, you got fired on top of everything?"

"I tried to explain the situation to my co-workers. Brenda even said she thought she had seen me on the news because of all the mess we made on the highway." Harley shivered at the thought. "Anyway, long-story-short, yes, I'm unemployed at the moment."

"I'm sure you'll find something soon enough." Steve yawned, closing his eyes and begging to feel sleepy.

"Yeah, I hope so." Harley answered, softly. _"What I want to find right now is out of my reach, thought."_ She thought as her eyes also grew tired, and she settled in the chair, welcoming a good few minutes of sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10: An Interesting Place to Start**

It had been almost two weeks since Steve was discharged from the hospital. In that mean time, Harley was trying to reorganize the mess her life had become since the HYDRA kidnapping. She only realized how bad things really were when Natasha showed up that night for a serious conversation.

"So... it's all out there now?" Harley asked, staring intensively at the mug of coffee in front of her. "Why haven't you told me that before?"

"There was a lot going on, you were worried enough about Rogers and all the kidnapping episode, I didn't want to make you even more paranoid." Natasha answered, a bit worried. "I'm sorry, but I had to do it Harl, you know what was at stake." She gave her a nervous look before continuing. "But hey, I never saw any trace of your name while I was downloading and releasing those files, I'm sure you'll be fine. Besides, if it was that bad, someone would have showed up to take you away by now." Natasha grabbed Harley's hand, trying to keep her calm.

"It's not just about me, Red. It's about you, too!" Harley said, raising her look to Natasha's face. "Pierce mentioned something about my past being off the records, now if it's true or not I don't know, but what about you? What are ya going to do now?" Harley was severely worried about her friend.

"It's not the end of the world, Harl. I blew all of my covers, gotta go find a new one." Natasha shrugged, but Harley could see that deep down she had no clue of what to expect either.

"So, you're gonna leave?" Harley asked, hesitating.

"Yes." Natasha answered, bitter. "I already talked with Steve and Fury at the cemetery earlier today. Now it's time to say goodbye to you, as well." She smirked.

"Oh, come on, Red!" Harley whined. "Why can't ya just stay here in my apartment? No one would look for ya here, and if they do, we'll kick their asses together! Whataya say, huh?" Harley pleaded.

"It's sounds tempting Harl, but no. I need a little time for myself, you know?" Natasha rose up from the chair. "I had to call in a few favors from Kiev this week and that already brought me rough memories."

"Well, if you ever need anything, ya know where to find me." Harley said, giving her a hug.

"Thanks, Harl." Natasha said, returning the hug. "It's just goodbye for a little while, you ain't seen the last of me yet." She winked at Harley before heading out for the door.

" _There goes another one. Maybe I'm just meant to be abandoned."_ Harley thought, returning to her coffee for another night of no sleep.

* * *

"You okay, Steve?" Sam asked, entering the room.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Steve answered, putting away the file Natasha gave him the day before.

"You shouldn't be looking at that all the time, it's gonna give you nightmares." Sam advised.

"I have to find him, Sam. He's out there somewhere." Steve covered his face with his hands, trying to avoid the terrible thoughts that appeared in his mind every time he thought about Bucky.

"We will, Cap, don't worry." Sam tapped Steve's back and headed out of the room; clearly, Steve needed more time alone.

* * *

Breaking an entering and roaming around unnoticed were one of the many things he was good at, so it wasn't a problem to breach the Museum's security. He walked among the crowd, making sure to hide his metal hand in the jacket's pocket, feeling very uncomfortable as people passed by him laughing and pointing at the displays around the exhibit. He started to regret that stupid idea, but it was too late to back out now, he was there for a reason. After a little while, he finally found it; there was no way that it could be anyone else's face but his on that panel.

Getting a little closer, he read the name on the side of the picture: Bucky Barnes.

" _Your name is James Buchanan Barnes."_ That voice echoed in his mind.

Then, lowering his face to the small television under the panel, he saw clips of him and the blonde man he had saved from drowning. His eyes widened at that image as many more were starting to form in his head, each one faster than the previous, leaving him able to let out only a whisper. "Steve."

* * *

Harley was back to the similar inactive state she found herself before going to work as a nurse. She haven't heard from Natasha in a month, but she knew Red could manage to take care of herself under any circumstances. Harley decided to do a little bit of gymnastics for distraction, keeping her mind busy with something else. After an hour into exercises, she concluded it was good enough for a day and headed over to the bathroom for a cool shower. Harley barely exited the living room when she heard someone desperately knocking on the door.

"Gee, calm down, I'm going!" Harley yelled, making her way to the little entrance hall. She peeked through the eye-hole and it only took her one second to unlock the door.

"Cap, what's going on?" Harley asked, shocked. Steve looked wrecked and exhausted; it could only mean bad news.

"We need your help, Claire." He said, immediately closing the door behind him.

"Who's we? And with what?" She asked as Steve passed by her, heading for the kitchen. "Hey, wait for me!" She yelled, following him.

"Look, I know this may be a lot on you, and I would never ask something like that if I didn't trust you could manage it." Steve said, sitting on the table.

"Are you gonna tell me what's happening or you're gonna keep this cheap suspense?" She crossed her arms, irritated.

"I found Bucky." He replied, lowering his voice.

" _What?_ " Harley widened her eyes. "Where is he!?"

"He's with me and Sam, only…" Steve paused and stared at Harley for a moment. "He's not looking too good."

"What's wrong with him?" Harley asked, getting more worried after each statement.

"What's not, Claire?" Steve answered, annoyed. "He's a mess, he doesn't eat, he barely even talks, I bet he can't even sleep!" Steve stood up and started walking around the kitchen, clearly agitated. "If you only knew the things they've done to him! I have his file back at Sam's apartment and it's been giving me nightmares since I started reading it!" He covered his face with his hands, breathing heavily.

"Calm down, Steve. The worst it's over. Here, come and sit down." Harley guided him back to the chair. She was fighting the urge to start crying, she couldn't give herself away and let Steve know she witnessed one of the many atrocities committed against Bucky.

"I haven't even told you the worst part yet." Steve said after a failed attempt to calm down. Harley's throat gave a knot. "When we found him he was… he was trying to rip off his arm." Silent tears started to fall from the Captain's eyes. At that point, Harley was also crying.

"Oh my God!" She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to imagine the level of desperation Bucky was at to attempt something like that.

"He needs someone to talk to; someone who knows exactly what to say." Steve said, wiping his tears.

"And you think _I'm_ that person?" Harley asked, a bit scared as Steve nodded silent in response. "What makes you think that I'll be able to help him?"

"Because you were able to comfort me when I was in a bad place. Don't you remember that day at the nursing home?" He kept his eyes on Harley. "Look, I know you went through some terrible things, not only from what you've told me, but also from the way you talked about moving on… I know you can relate to him." Steve said, surprising her.

Harley kept her gaze upon the Captain, not being able to talk. She wanted to help Bucky since the beginning, but how could she? What if she only made things worse? Steve was still waiting for an answer. Harley closed her eyes and sighed. "When can I see him?"

* * *

"Hey man. Hello, Claire!" Sam greeted them as Steve led Harley into the apartment.

"Hey, Sam." Harley replied, nervous.

"How's everything?" Steve asked quickly.

"The same, he's still locked up in that room." Sam shrugged, frustrated. "I tried to offer him something to eat but, like always, he told me to leave him alone."

"How long is he here?" Harley asked, hanging her purse by the door.

"Three days." Steve answered.

"So he's without food and shower for three whole days?" She asked, shocked.

"We forced him in the shower on the first day, but after that, he locked himself away. He waits until we're asleep to use the bathroom." Sam answered. "Cap, can I talk to you for a sec?" He made a hand gesture towards Steve.

"Excuse me Claire, I'll be right back." Steve answered, suspicious. Harley nodded, confused.

"What?" Steve asked, following Sam in the kitchen.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Sam crossed his arms, keeping his voice down.

"She's here already; I'm not going to send her away." Steve also lowered his voice. "Besides, she knows him; they were both with HYDRA."

"You told me that already, I just can't understand why you think that girl will be able to change anything, he probably won't even remember her." Sam had very little faith after their attempts to help Bucky. "He recognizes you and still won't let you near him."

"She'll help him. I know it." Steve said, putting an end to the discussion and heading back to the leaving room to join Harley again. "Sorry about that. You're ready?"

"I'll have to be at some point." She answered, nervous.

"It'll be fine; if things get out of hand, we'll get there in a second." He started to lead Harley through the hallway. "This way."

* * *

After Steve headed back to the living room, Harley stood in front of the door for what seemed like an eternity. It felt weird that Bucky was so close now. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and knocked on the door.

No answer. She knocked again, harder this time, hoping he would at least tell her to piss off; Harley needed to hear his voice so she could believe a hundred percent that he was behind that door.

" _I already said I'm not hungry!"_ The sound of that hostile muffled voice made Harley smile for a bit, before composing herself to the present situation.

"I'm not here with dinner plans." Harley spoke, close to the door. Everything went quiet after that.

" _Whoever you are, just leave me alone."_ There it was again: rejection. Something she still didn't know how to manage very well.

"Nobody wants to be alone." Harley said the first thing that popped in her mind.

He banged hard against the door, making her jump. That wasn't such a clever approach, she would have to do better so they could at least talk like civilized people.

Harley leaned against the door again. "I understand that you're scared; it's normal, believe me. I know what you're going through, it's not easy to let go of our nature and accept the damage we've caused to other people, but that it's the first step to…" Harley was interrupted by the sound of the door being unlocked. She wasn't sure if that was an invitation, but she was willing to take the risk. Taking another deep breath, she grabbed the doorknob and opened the door slowly.

The room was really dark, all the windows were closed and she noticed a bunch of clothing and objects on the ground; the only mirror on the wall was shattered. She cautiously entered the room, closing the door behind her.

"Are you alone?" The voice came from a corner.

"Just you and me." Harley answered, feeling nervous.

"Who are you?" Bucky asked, still not moving from the wall; it was very hard to see his face. Harley noticed, however, that he was wearing a coat, keeping his metal arm hidden and his hands inside the pockets.

Harley hesitated before answering him. When they had a brief discussion at the facilities' cafeteria, she said her name was Harley; but Steve and Sam had no idea of her secret. She would have to lie.

"My name is Claire. I'm a friend of Steve, and from what I've heard, so are you." She smiled briefly, keeping her voice calm.

"Friends don't try to kill each other." He answered, bitter.

"You know that it wasn't you, James." Harley had thought hard about how to call him; Bucky seemed a bit too intimate. "Look, I'm here to help you. I'm someone you can talk to about everything, trust me. I know you'll get through this."

There was no answer, but Harley detected his movement as he started to get close to her. She thought about backing up, but she didn't want him to think she was scared of him.

"You should leave." Bucky said, getting inches from Harley's face. It was too dark to notice specific details, but he was still looking just as she remembered.

"Why did you invite me in, then?" She asked, keeping her eyes on his.

He kept silent, staring at her, none of them daring to break the eye contact. After a while, he merely answered. "I don't know."

He held the door open just enough so she could pass. After giving him a weak smile, Harley finally looked away, making her way back to the corridor.

* * *

Bucky closed the door behind him and leaned against it, slipping to the ground. There was a reason why he had let the girl in, but it seemed very misplaced. He felt he knew her before, but if he did, that memory was buried somewhere inaccessible in his mind.

Bucky was almost positive about it, especially by the way she talked to him; she didn't treat him like a complete stranger and barely moved when he approached her. Besides, she wasn't there for nothing, Steve probably trusted her enough to call for help. He just wished he could have really seen her face. Even inches away from her, it was still pretty dark to make a full recognition. Not thinking twice about it, Bucky was already on his feet, heading out of the room hoping she hadn't left the apartment yet.

* * *

Harley stepped out of the room, a slight sign of victory filling her up. Although it wasn't much, the fact he let her in and actually spoke to her, face to face, was already a good start. She stayed in front of the room for a little bit, but there was no sound coming from it. Harley decided to head back to the living room to report to Steve what had just happened.

"Hey guys." She said, leaning against the door. Steve and Sam both looked at her, anxious look on their faces.

"How was it? Is everything okay?" Steve stood up from the couch as Sam turned off the television.

"It was fine. Actually, it went better than I thought." Harley said, couldn't helping but smile.

"What did he say?" Sam asked, nervous.

"Not much, nothing relevant." Harley shrugged. "He did let me get inside of the room, thought, but…" She stopped talking after noticing Steve and Sam's shocked expressions. When she realized they were not looking at her, she turned around immediately.

She also widened her eyes when she saw the man standing behind her. He was looking at her intensively, studying every part of her face. Harley didn't move. Now, in a properly illuminated environment, she could see his hair was longer and he needed to shave.

"Bucky, is everything alright?" Steve asked, hesitating.

"I got hungry." Bucky replied, still looking at Harley.

"Well, come on then, the kitchen is this way." Steve said, approaching him very cautiously. He was probably trying to avoid an episode.

Bucky followed Steve, finally breaking the eye contact. Harley was still recomposing herself from the unpredicted situation when Sam made his way to her.

"You okay, Claire?" He started to guide her towards the couch. "Here, sit down."

"Thanks Sam, but I think I should be going home. I'm just gonna say goodbye to the boys over there." Harley said, grabbing her purse and heading to the kitchen. She stopped by the door before entering, making sure that Sam wasn't watching, and pulled a little notebook from her purse. She made a quick annotation then ripped off the page, entering the kitchen with the paper hidden in her hand.

Bucky was sitting at the table while Steve was making a sandwich on the counter. They both turned their heads to the door as she appeared.

"Well, I'm leaving." She smiled briefly, looking from one man to the other. Bucky kept his eyes on her the entire time while the Captain was still busy with the food.

"You don't want to stay for dinner?" Steve pointed at the sandwich.

Harley let out a laugh. "As tempting as it sounds, Cap, I think I'll pass. But enjoy it, you two." She said, looking at Bucky. He wasn't smiling, but his expression was softer. She took this opportunity to leave the little note on the counter without Steve noticing it. Harley hoped Bucky did.

"If you're sure about it." Steve shrugged, smiling.

"Yes, I am, but thank you anyway. Good night!" Harley was about to leave the door when Steve called her again, causing her to look back at him.

"No, Claire. Thank _you_." He said.

"Anytime, Cap." Harley smiled, walking towards the entrance door where Sam was already standing. "Good night Sam, take care! If you need anything, just call me." Harley said, giving him a hug.

"I'm sure we will need to." He had a tough look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Harley asked, lowering her voice.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm really blown away by the fact he is actually out of that room, sitting at the table and eating, but we can't fool ourselves. He's still way too unstable." Sam said, looking towards the kitchen.

"I know that, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. But this is a great start, don'tcha think?" Harley tapped his shoulder.

"I gotta admit that at first I wasn't really sure about all this but after today, I have faith in you, girl." Sam smiled, sincere.

"I'm flattered to hear that." Harley bowed, playful. "Okay, now get that door open for me, will ya? I need my bed!"

Sam laughed and unlocked the door, waving at Harley as she made her way to her car.

* * *

Bucky finished his sandwich after only a few bites, his mind working non-stop after seeing the girl's face up close.

"Do you want me to make another?" Steve asked, pulling Bucky away from his reveries.

"No, I'm going back to the room." Bucky stood up, lowering his head as he passed by Steve and not even looking at Sam when he crossed the living room. His excuse to leave the bedroom by pretending to be hungry was already pointless since the girl left. All he wanted was his dark room, where he could be alone to think about all the unexpected things that happened that day.

He entered the bedroom, closing the door and locking it quickly. Laying on the bed, Bucky shut his eyes, concentrating hard on each detail of her face. She wasn't like any woman he had seen before, at least not like the few he remembered seeing. The most intriguing feature about her, however, were those eyes; they were so blue and penetrating. He was sure he had seen those eyes filled with tears before. After some more failed attempts to remember, Bucky decided to call it a day, welcoming perhaps his first night of sleep in weeks.

* * *

"Still doubting about Claire's chances?" Steve asked, sitting on the couch beside Sam.

"It was tough enough admitting it to her; let's just say we're even." Sam laughed, not looking away from the television.

"No, but serious, I feel very optimistic." Steve had a peaceful expression on his face. "I mean, I know we still have a lot to work on, but the fact he is talking and eating makes me feel more relaxed. I was starting to think we would have to call a doctor or something."

"Yeah I would love to see that. He almost broke _your_ arms the first night; imagine what he could do to a doctor." Sam cringed at the thought.

"Well, he was scared, it's understandable. And, to be fair, I also broke his arm at the carrier." Steve looked down, ashamed. "I really hoped I wouldn't have to hurt him."

"Come on Cap, that's history now. The important thing is that he's here, and if it gets out of hand, we can manage it." Sam tapped on Steve's shoulder before standing up. "Well, good night Cap." He headed towards the room while Steve accommodated himself on the couch.

* * *

" _Who are you?"_

" _What are you so afraid of?"_

" _All that trouble just to get a few minutes alone with me?"_

" _My name's Harley, by the way."_

" _You are afraid to find out that the world is a bigger place than you think."_

" _Wipe him?"_

* * *

Bucky woke up soaked in sweat, trembling and breathing heavily. Those were the usual responses to his current nightmares, but this time it was different. He saw her; he heard her voice and now he was certain they've met before. Bucky needed to see her again; he had questions that claimed for answers. Without wasting time, he removed the wet shirt and simply put a jacket on top of his naked chest and put a cap on his head. There was a problem, though; he had no idea where the girl lived and he sure as hell wasn't going to ask Steve about it. Bucky wanted to keep this as secret as possible, if Sam or Steve even dreamed that he was planning on going out, it would be a complete mess.

Bucky remembered about the little piece of paper he grabbed from the counter while making his way back to the room. She left it there for him to see it, but with the wave of information working on his brain, he ended up forgetting about it. He searched the pockets of the jacket and finally found it. Unfolding the note, he couldn't believe his eyes as he read the message: _"I'm sure you'll need this sooner or later."_ There was her home address, just what he needed. Bucky couldn't help but smile at his luck at that point, he just hoped it would last.

He unlocked the door, avoiding making noise the best he could and headed out for the living room. It was all going well so far until he saw Steve asleep on the couch. Bucky would have to move quickly if he didn't want Steve noticing his presence. Walking very slowly, Bucky was able to go around the couch without alarm; once near the entrance door, he grabbed the keys from the counter and headed out for the outside, the little note still secure in his hand.

* * *

The banging on the door was constant and it got louder after each time. Harley jumped out of bed, alarmed, looking at the clock: 1:43am. Only a few possibilities of whom might be at her door this late crossed her mind, but she grabbed her baseball bat from under the bed either way; she couldn't risk her safety. Harley put on her robe and made her way to the front door.

Peeking through the eye-hole, she saw a big figure standing on the outside, looking impatient. She opened the door immediately.

"You got my note, huh?" Harley asked, smiling.

"Can we talk?" Bucky asked, tense.

"Sure, it must be important for you to be here at almost 2 in the morning." Harley replied, stepping out of the way so he could enter the apartment.

Bucky walked to the couch, but didn't sat down. Instead, he looked at her with a rather hostile expression. "What's that for?" He pointed at her hand.

"Oh, this!" Harley forgot about the bat, putting it aside in a quick move. "Precaution, ya know?" She smirked.

Bucky kept his expression. "Why didn't you tell me we've met before?"

Harley widened her eyes, perplexed; she thought after that shock wave on his brain he wouldn't remember her anytime soon. "Well, because I figured you wouldn't remember me. I was trying to avoid getting you even more confused." She said, slowly approaching the other side of the couch where he was standing.

"I'm confused enough as it is." He looked down. "And why did you lie to me?"

"What do you mean?" Harley started to get nervous.

"You said your name was Claire, but I'm sure I've heard you introducing yourself by another name before." He looked up at her, intimidating. "How can you help me if you're not being honest with me? How can I trust you?"

"Okay, listen." She said, raising her hands. "I'll tell you everything you want to know, just… give me a minute." Harley sat down on the couch, gathering the strength to tell him the ugly truth.

"I'm all ears." Bucky said, sitting beside her.

"Claire Hogue it's just a cover, sort of like a secret identity. My real name is Harleen Francis Quinzel, but everyone knew me by Harley." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Before I moved here and got mixed up in all this mess, I was in a bad place. And it wasn't just something trivial, it was _really_ bad. I got involved with the wrong person and that led me to a dark path, which I thought I would never get out from." Tears threatened to form in her eyes, but she wiped them away before they could fall. "I've done horrible things, some that you can't even imagine. I killed people with a smile on my face to please a man who I thought loved me and cared about me. I was wrong; I fell into his madness so deep that I even had to be institutionalized a few of times." There was no point in fighting the tears anymore; they would come every time she'd talk about those years.

Bucky remained silent, but his expression was now of shock, even if he was trying to disguise it.

"It was very hard for me not to care about him, especially because I was his doctor at the time. After countless conversations, some of them off the records, he came up with a name he said always brought a smile to his face; and that's when I became _Harley Quinn_ , the punching bag of a psychotic murdering clown." She could barely see at that point from the waterfalls flowing from her eyes. "That's why I lied; it's why I'm lying since the beginning. If Steve finds out about my past, he will never look at me again and… he won't let me get near you, either." Harley looked down, sounding a bit ashamed.

Bucky was paralyzed; he couldn't believe in what she just told him. If it was true, that she caused that much damage to so many people, even killed for someone else, that meant they had a lot more in common than he thought. Bucky hesitated before taking her hand in his, causing Harley to look at him, surprised. He wasn't used to this kind of interaction, but he couldn't stand watching her crying like that.

Harley gave him a weak smile, though the tears were still running free across her face. She noticed his left hand, shoved inside the jacket's pocket. "You don't need to hide it from me, ya know?" She said, still looking at the lump inside the pocket.

"I can't stand looking at it." He admitted, his voice failing, still holding Harley's hand.

"Steve told me what you tried to do." She said, her voice had a reproachful tone.

"I'm sure he did." Bucky said, aggressive, letting go of her hand.

"Getting yourself mutilated it's not going to make things any better!" Harley raised her voice.

"It's easy for you to say!" He got up, opening his arms, the metal hand now visible. "You don't have to look at yourself every day and see the reminder of the monster you really are!"

"You are _not_ a monster, James!" She got up as well. "You are a confused man who were unfortunate enough to fall in the hands of a Nazi organization! What they turned you into it's not who you really are, we both know that!"

"Who am I, then?" Bucky asked, desperate.

"We will find the answer to that question together, I promise you." Harley tried to take his hand again, but he turned his back on her and went towards the window. He leaned against it, looking down, trying to easy his breathing.

"Where is he now?" He asked, still not looking at her.

"Who?" Harley asked, confused.

"The man you were with." He replied, bitter. "How do you know he won't try to find you?" Bucky turned around to face her, looking bothered.

"I know he won't because I killed him." Harley answered, cold. She expected Bucky to say something, but he looked at her confused, waiting for an explanation. "It came down to a point where it was either _him_ or _me_. I couldn't just leave him, if I did, I'd be the one dead; he was not a man who would take a 'no' for an answer." She took a deep breath. "So I took the opportunity that I had and decided it was time to put an end to that madness, and so I did." Her expression became rigid, and for the first time Bucky saw her as an intimidating person.

"What was his name?" He asked, absorbed by her story.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Harley answered, putting an end to the discussion. "So, will you let me help you?" She asked, getting closer to him.

"If I don't cause you another meltdown, I guess we can take the risk." He said, feeling playful all of a sudden.

Harley chuckled, returning to the composed and innocent woman Bucky saw her as. She reached out for his hand and this time he allowed her to grab it. They kept staring at each other for a while before Bucky broke the awkward silence.

"I should go, better get back before Steve finds out I ran off." Bucky stepped away from her, heading for the door. "And don't worry; your secret is safe with me." He said with a brief smile before heading out of the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Harley stood there still, staring at the door. She couldn't help but smile at the way things were happening. Harley didn't know what to expect from now on, but of one thing she was certain: this was surely an interesting place to start.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11: An Unpleasant Surprise**

Bucky returned home still thinking about what had just happened back at Harleen's apartment. It was nice finding someone with shared life experience, even if it was a small part; either way she knew what he was going through. Bucky approached the door but didn't enter immediately, the arguing inside stopped him.

" _Don't tell me to stay calm, he could be anywhere! And where are my damn keys?"_ Steve's voice could be heard, desperation in his tone.

" _I told you we should have put some more locks on that door!"_ Sam replied, also sounding disturbed.

" _I didn't want him to feel like this was a prison; don't you think he had enough of that?"_ Steve's words hit Bucky hard; the Captain really cared about him.

" _Honestly, Cap, I'm not taking the fault for this. You were the one who decided to sleep on the couch to monitor him better during the night, so that's on you!"_ Sam answered, clearly mad. Bucky decided it was time to put an end to that discussion before one of them got out of control.

He unlocked the door and entered, silence immediately filled the room. Steve and Sam's heads were turned to his direction, both of them looking pissed and relieved at the same time. Bucky did not let it affect him though; he kept his blank expression despite the unsettling situation.

"Where the hell have you been?" Steve was the first to talk, sounding furious.

"I went out." Bucky answered, not being able to avoid the sarcasm.

"Are you gonna play it smart with us now?" Sam responded, angry.

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm not a child; I'm perfectly capable of getting out of this house _when_ and _if_ I want to." Bucky would not let them treat him like a clueless maniac; he was perfectly aware of his situation and the environment he was inserted.

"You better not be planning on running away." Steve stopped him from leaving the room, the desperation and fear on his eyes unbalancing Bucky for a brief moment.

Bucky kept his gaze upon his old friend, thinking hard before answering him. "Before, maybe. But now I have a reason to stay."

Steve looked at him, confused. He didn't really understand what Bucky meant by that but the fact he wasn't going to disappear on him relieved his anxiety. He let Bucky go to his room without further words.

* * *

Harley woke up late, too many thoughts kept her awake at night. She decided to do something crazy, especially since Steve probably didn't know Bucky stopped by to visit her during the night. She took a shower, picked up some nice clothes from the closet and even put a light makeup on. She checked herself in the mirror about a dozen times before heading out for the door.

Harley drove fast towards Sam's apartment, her crazy plan still working in her mind. She took a deep breath before exiting the car, then made her way to the front door and knocked. Steve was the one who greeted her and Harley couldn't help but notice his current state.

"You look terrible, Cap! What happened?" He had dark circles under his eyes and looked really down.

"Hey Claire, nice to see you again." He forced a smile. "Nothing, really, just had a rough night."

Harley felt a twinge of guilt; it probably had something to do with Bucky sneaking out of the apartment. Of course, Steve would find out about it eventually.

"Well, we all have those nights, huh?" She looked up, trying not to give herself away. "So, you guys had lunch yet?"

"No, actually Sam went out just now to buy us some food; you're welcome to join us." Steve smiled and started to guide Harley inside but she stopped him.

"Thanks Cap, really, but that's not why I asked." She felt her cheeks starting to burn. "Actually, I'm here to pick up James."

"Uh… what?" Steve looked at her, confused.

"I was planning on taking him out for lunch… if that's okay with you, of course!" She added fast, not wanting to sound invasive.

"Yeah, no, this is a great idea, just uh… unexpected." Steve gave her an awkward smile. "Why don't you just wait here, I'll go get him for you." He rushed towards the hallway, disappearing from Harley's sight.

Harley sat down on the couch, starting to regret that crazy idea. She was already on her feet, ready to apologize and leave when she saw Bucky coming towards her.

"Hello, _Claire_." He was looking much better than last night, his expression was softer and he even gave her a playful smile. The emphasis on her fake name was obviously a tease.

"Hi, James." She smirked, playing along.

"Steve here told me you want to take me out on a date, is that true?" He was clearly doing whatever he could to make her even more uncomfortable, that grin still on his face.

"What?" Harley widened her eyes; her face was probably red at that point. Steve giggled, for a moment Harley forgot about his presence. She decided to try to change the subject and found the perfect opportunity after taking a closer look to Bucky's face. "You shaved." Harley said, a playful smile on her lips.

"I decided to stop looking like a cave man for a while." He rubbed his chin, smiling. Harley always thought he was a handsome man, but the cleaner look helped to reinforce the idea. "So, we're going now?" He asked noticing that Harley was still staring at him with a vague expression, apparently lost in thoughts.

"Yeah, sure, let's go." She said, grabbing the car keys from her purse. "Bye Cap, I'll bring him back before midnight, I promise!" Harley winked at Steve, causing Bucky to let out a brief laugh.

As they both headed out of the apartment, Steve stood there, watching they both disappear from sight. His mind had worked non-stop since Claire started to interact with Bucky and suddenly he had a pretty good idea of where his best friend went last night. Steve closed the door, not being able to avoid a smile.

"Cool car." Bucky said when they approached the vehicle. "Can I drive?"

"No." Harley said, entering the driver's side.

Bucky sat on the passenger's seat, bitter; it had been a while since he drove a car. Harleen was still quiet, so he decided to break the silence. "So, where are you taking me?"

"How does my place sound to you?" She said, not taking her eyes from the road.

"Are you gonna cook?" Bucky raised an eyebrow.

"No, silly, we can order something. How about Chinese food?" She looked at him, smiling.

"Sure, you're the one who invited me, what you say goes." He said, putting his arms behind his head and his feet on the dash, watching the view from the car window, without a care for the first time in a long time.

* * *

"Welcome to my little chateau… again." Harley said, entering the apartment followed by Bucky. "I'm gonna call the restaurant, you can make yourself at home." She smiled, heading for the kitchen.

Bucky took his time to study the apartment now that he had the time to. It seemed odd that he was just here the night before, under very different circumstances. Yet, he felt really comfortable; it was always like that around Harleen. Bucky sat on the couch, waiting for her to return to the living room.

"20 minutes, tops." She said, waving the phone in her hand, entering the room.

"Great." Bucky said with a brief smile. Harley put the phone on the little center table and sat beside Bucky on the couch. She noticed he had a tough expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Harley asked, studying him.

Bucky took a while to respond. "Did I ever… hurt you?" He looked at her, hesitating.

That question caught Harley off guard. She decided to approach that in a smart way. "Do you remember hurting me?"

"I don't know; it's very blurry." He looked down, frustrated. "I can't get a hold of the images; it's more about the sounds and the voices." Bucky turned his head to face Harley. "But I do remember seeing you crying."

Harley froze; she knew exactly what he was talking about. "Yes, you did." She closed her eyes for a moment. "But it wasn't because you were hurting me… it was because they were hurting you." She looked into his eyes, sorrowful.

"The chair." Bucky whispered, his voice failing.

"I couldn't help it." Harley continued. "It was one of the cruelest things I've ever witnessed. I was really scared for you." She grabbed his right hand in hers. "I don't ever want to see you hurt like that again. I mean it." She confessed; her eyes wet.

Bucky looked at her, incredibly touched. She was being honest, he could tell; she genuinely cared about him. Suddenly, a rush of emotions took control of his body; he released his hand from Harleen's grip and placed it on her face; she closed her eyes at his touch, letting the tears run free. Bucky leaned forward, approaching their faces; he could feel her warm breathing as his mouth got closer to hers. When their lips touched, it felt like time stopped and everything around them wasn't an issue anymore; it would all be okay, he knew it.

The sound of the intercom made them both jump. Harley moved away from Bucky, getting up from the couch, running towards the kitchen to answer the device.

"What?" Harley asked a bit rude because of the interruption.

" _Your delivery, ma'am."_ A nasal voice came from the intercom.

"Yeah, I'll be right down." She headed for the living room, stopping by the door before looking at Bucky. "I'll be right back." She opened the door and left, disappearing from his sights.

Bucky just sat there, immobile. He didn't know how to explain what just happened, he just wished that it didn't ruin everything between them. Bucky never felt that urge before, to get that close to someone and perform an actual kiss. He didn't even know Harleen that well yet but the way she made him feel, it was welcoming and just felt right.

"Hey, hope you're hungry." Harley came back with the food bag in hands.

Bucky rose from the couch, walking towards her. "Here, I'll help you." He took the bag from her, still a little embarrassed.

"Thanks." She had the same tone as him. "I'll go set the table; it'll be just a minute."

They ate in silence, avoiding looking at each other unless it was extremely necessary. Harley felt really bad for what happened; as much as she enjoyed the kiss, it could lead to an even more complicated situation. Harley wasn't sure if she would ever be able to fall in love again.

"I'm sorry." Harley was taken away from her thoughts to the sound of Bucky's words. "I shouldn't have done that. It was an impulse… I hope I didn't ruin everything… I don't want you to make the wrong impression about me." He said, looking up to meet her eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, James." She placed her hand in his. "It was a tender moment, I'll admit it." She let out a small laugh before getting serious again. "But hey… You didn't make me feel uncomfortable not even for a second. How could I think bad about you?" She smiled at him, sincere.

"I just don't want to lose you." He admitted and Harley could see the pain in his eyes. She tightened up the grip on his hand.

"You won't. I promise." Harley felt a warmth growing inside of her after Bucky spoke; she also didn't want to lose him, not now that they got so close.

* * *

Harley parked in front of Sam's apartment but didn't get out of the car. She kept staring at the windshield for a moment before turning to face Bucky, who was sitting on the passenger's seat.

"I really enjoyed our time together." She smiled. "I hope we can do this more often. I think it would be good for both of us."

"I couldn't agree more." Bucky smiled, caressing her hand.

"Can I ask you something?" Harley got serious for a moment.

"Sure." Bucky said, staring at her confused.

"I hope you never have to, but if you and Steve happen to talk about those terrible chair sessions you went through… just don't tell him I was there." Harley looked down. "He doesn't know that I witnessed it and I couldn't tell him about it; it would tear him apart… he really cares about you, James. I hope you know that." She looked up to meet Bucky's eyes.

"I know he does… I care about him, too. That little guy from Brooklyn… I've been seeing him a lot lately when I'm alone in my room." Bucky smiled briefly, remembering the images of a young skinny kid who was always in trouble. "And don't worry, I won't tell him."

"Thank you." Harley felt relieved after that; she had that guilt inside of her ever since she talked with Steve at the hospital.

"Well, I better go inside now. Make sure to come visit me. You can use the window if you're too shy." Bucky said, playful, stepping out of the car.

"Ha-ha." Harley answered, sarcastic. "Alright cyborg-dude, see ya around." Harley winked as Bucky waved her goodbye and headed towards Sam's apartment.

"Hey there." Steve said with a playful tone when Bucky entered the room. "How was your date?"

"Very funny." Bucky replied, smiling.

"Well I guess I did a good thing bringing her here. I haven't seen you like this since…" Steve stopped for a moment. "Coming to think of it, I think I've never seen you like this at all."

"Is that a good thing?" Bucky sat on the couch.

"I think so. Guess now that we know what's going on you won't need to sneak out of the apartment in the middle of the night anymore." Steve teased.

"What?" Bucky was caught off guard. "How did you…?" The phone started ringing but they ignored it.

"Come on Buck, when were you ever able to hide anything from me?" Steve smiled.

"You're a punk." Bucky let out a laugh.

"Jerk." Steve replied and they both stared at each other, feeling for the first the time like time had never passed.

"Sorry to interrupt, ladies." Sam entered the room waving the phone on his hand. "You got a call, Cap; sounds important."

"Right. Thanks, Sam." Steve took the phone and headed for the corridor. "This is Rogers."

" _Hey there, Capsicle!"_ Steve frowned immediately.

"Hello Mr. Stark." He replied, bitter.

" _Oh, come on, I thought after the alien invasion we would have passed the formalities."_ Tony was still the same, apparently.

"Yeah, I guess." Steve looked around, impatient. "So, what is this about, _Tony?_ I kind of have a lot going on around here."

" _See? That's way better!"_ Tony sounded amused. _"Alright, I'll try to be as quick as possible, Your Majesty."_ Steve rolled his eyes. _"Agent Romanoff showed up about a week ago here in New York and we have some pretty sweet tracks around a HYDRA base in Sokovia. Sounds pretty big. You in?"_

Steve had to stop to process the information. He knew HYDRA hadn't go down with Pierce and he really wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine, but going out on a mission would imply to leave Bucky alone. He wasn't sure if that was a good idea, but then he thought about Claire.

" _Uh… I'm still waiting, Cap. Should I put Jarvis on the phone because I also have a lot of things to do around here, still have to contact the rest of the team."_ Tony said, sarcastic.

"Yes." Steve answered.

" _Yes what?"_

"Yes, I'm in. I'll be there soon." Steve said hanging up the device.

He took a deep breath and went back to the living room to give Sam and Bucky the news. "Something's came up. I have to go out on a mission. I'm not exactly sure how long it'll take but I need you both to stay out of trouble while I'm gone, especially you." He said, looking at Bucky.

"I'm not a kid, Steve, it's about time you stop treating me like one." Bucky sounded offended.

"What kind of mission is it?" Sam asked, curious.

"Avengers kind of mission." Steve said, final. He didn't want to give away the fact they were going to take down a HYDRA base, he knew Bucky would want to join without hesitation and it would only make things worse.

"So, when you're going?" Sam continued to question him.

"I'll head to New York right now and then we'll take off from there." Steve gave another look at Bucky. "Well, I better pack my things." He just needed the essential: his uniform, a pair of clean clothes, some underwear, his toothbrush and, the most important, his shield.

He went back to the living room with his bag packed and ready. "Well, I better get going."

"Good luck, Cap. We'll be fine, don't worry." Sam tried as best as he could to hide the uncomfortable feeling of being alone with Bucky during who knows how long.

"Thanks, Sam." He looked at Bucky who haven't moved from the couch. "Hey… don't do anything stupid until I get back."

"Yeah, yeah." Bucky made a hand gesture, getting up and walking towards his room.

Steve expected a different answer but it was too early for high hopes. "Goodbye guys." Steve headed out of the apartment; the sound of his motorcycle could be heard as he went off the distance.

* * *

Harley got out of the car and headed for the staircase. She went up the stairs slowly, her mind still going back to the kiss she shared with Bucky not too long ago. It felt really good, she had no idea how a true kiss, one with feeling, felt like. Not from past experiences, anyway.

She finally reached her floor, but before she could enter her apartment, an old lady who lived in the floor below stopped her.

"Miss Hogue, is that right?" She approached her, hesitating.

"Yeah, that's me." Harley answered, a bit confused.

"Oh, I thought you should know… a gentleman showed up looking for you. He said he knocked on your door but got no answer, so he left me this." She handed Harley a sealed envelope. "He said I should give it to you the next time I saw you."

Harley took the envelope and studied for a minute, there was nothing writing on it. "Did he say his name?" She asked.

"No, he only gave me the envelope and went away. The poor man must have been in a hurry." The old lady answered.

"But how did he look like?" Harley was still in doubt about all that.

"Oh I really couldn't get a good look at him, like I said, he was in a hurry. But seemed harmless, if that's what's worrying you. Maybe he's an admirer and wanted to make you a surprise?" The old lady patted Harley in the back before going back to her floor.

"Admirer, sure." Harley let out a small laugh, entering her apartment. Once inside, she opened the envelope carefully, not wanting to tear off the paper. She pulled out the content and what she saw made her drop the envelope immediately.

Harley stood there, in front of the door, with her eyes widened, not able to move. Her hand was covering her mouth even if there was no sound coming from it. Tears started to flow from her eyes when she decided to pull herself together. She bent down to grab the content of the envelope, her heart almost escaping through her mouth.

She held up the little card that was inside the sealed envelope, turning it around to reveal the exact thing she was afraid it would be. A little dark figure that remembered a devil wearing a pointy hat was writhing from laughter as Harley moved her eyes to read the words displayed on each side. _"Joker"._


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12: Two Damaged Minds Can Work Great Together**

Harley kept immobile staring at the card when the flash of a camera caused her to rise from the ground. It caught her off guard, so it took a while for her living room to come back to focus.

She heard a laughter coming from the opposite corner of the room as the figure of a man holding a gun came from the shadows.

"You should see your face right now." He said as Harley widened her eyes, shocked. "But don't worry… you will." He waved the Polaroid picture on his other hand, the gun still pointed at Harley.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Harley found her voice after the initial shock, staring at the man. "Do you think this is funny?! How the hell did you get in here?!"

"Easy there, sweetie. I'll explain everything in a minute, but before you get any ideas… get your ass in here." Rollins said, a wicked look in his eyes like Harley have never seen before. He looked out of control, a complete maniac.

Harley wasn't scared anymore, just confused. She couldn't understand what was going on, but decided to cooperate for now. After all, he was holding a gun on her head and looked tempted to fire it.

"There you go." He said as Harley approached him with her hands in the air. "Sorry if I scared you, but how else would I get your attention? You should really consider putting some locks in your windows since you were dumb enough not to move after screwing with HYDRA, by the way." He widened his smile. "You have no idea how long I waited for this moment. If you only knew how much I had to hold myself back when you were being kept by HYDRA… it was absolute _torture,_ especially knowing who you _really_ are!"

"What are ya talking about?" Harley maintained her voice calm, despite the unsettling situation she found herself.

"You're confused, I understand." He looked at her, dreamily. "You see, toots, I've always been a huge fan of your late lover's work. I mean… How couldn't I? He was a _genius!_ A poor misunderstood man who only wanted to make the world laugh."

Harley couldn't believe in those words. It was a nightmare worse than she had ever thought possible. "Are you out of your mind?!" She yelled, not being able to contain herself anymore.

"Aren't we both?" He smiled. "And then, of course, there was you… the comfort he found through the madness, the only one who really understood him… I know you can understand me, too." He continued as if Harley hadn't speak. "So… Why not?" Rollins said, coming closer to where Harley was standing. "Imagine the things we could do together… we would continue his work, spread _chaos_ and _laughter_ all over this world like we were meant to… Let the anarchy rule… We could make him _proud!"_ He was now standing inches from Harley, the gun still pointed at her face.

"Ya really wanna be like him?" Harley asked, challenger. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to offend ya or anything, you're obviously devoted, but I think that there's… Something missing." She said, serious. "Here, let me help ya."

* * *

" _Hey, do you wanna eat something?"_ Sam asked after knocking on the room door and getting no response.

"I'm not hungry." Bucky answered, not bothering to opening his eyes.

" _Well, whatever. I'm going to take a shower, try not to break anything while I'm not around."_ Sam said, a monotonous tone in his voice.

"Sure, sure…" Bucky rolled in his bed, putting the pillow on top of his head. He was trying hard to fall asleep, but the events of that afternoon, the kiss and the fact that Steve was not around were not helping.

The telephone started ringing; usually Bucky never touched the device, but since he was the only one available at the moment and wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, he got out of the room and decided to answer the damn thing.

"Yes?" He asked, emotionless.

"James?" Harleen's voice came from the device. Bucky didn't like the sound of it.

"Harley, are you okay?" He asked, anxious.

"C-could you come over… p-please?" Her voice was weak and desperate.

"I'm on my way!" Bucky hung off the phone and hurried to the room to get his jacket. "I'm going to get some fresh air, don't make a Federal case out of it!"He yelled when passing through the bathroom door and headed out for the apartment's exit before Sam could protest; his heart beating fast.

* * *

"Harley?" Bucky knocked on her door but got no answer. "Harleen, are you there?!" When the answer didn't come again, he decided to break in, bursting the door open. Bucky entered the room, already expecting to see the place wrecked, but everything was in order, apparently. "Harley?" He asked, hesitating… something wasn't right. There was a Polaroid picture on the ground and, beside of it, a playing card.

That's when he noticed the trail of blood coming from the kitchen. Bucky froze, his eyes widening to the scene. He took a deep breath and followed the trail, entering the kitchen. Harley was sitting on the ground holding her legs, the phone beside her and a bloody knife in her hand. Her whole body was shaking and her clothes had stains of blood in them. "Harleen, what the…" When Bucky got closer, he saw a dead body on the other side of the kitchen, covered in blood as well. There were knife wounds all over his chest, but the most disturbing part was his face. There were two huge knife wounds carved on each side of his mouth, resembling a smile.

Bucky recognized Rollins, his widened lifeless eyes staring back at him. "What did you do, Harley? What the hell happened here?" He yelled, disturbed by the scene.

"He… he tried to… I had to do something, J-James… I'm s-sorry!" Harley started to cry uncontrollably, the knife still on her hand. Bucky rushed to her side, sitting on the floor beside her and holding her tightly. She dropped the knife and put her arms around his neck, burying her face on his chest, still weeping.

"Shhh… calm down, it's okay… I'm here." He kissed the top of her head, not loosening the grip.

"Oh God! I'm so s-sorry James… p-please don't leave me!" She said with a muffled voice.

"I won't. Don't worry… just calm down, we'll figure this out." He had no idea what was going on, but he would help her no matter what.

"I gotta get this blood off of me!" Harley said, getting away from Bucky's embrace. She stood up and turned away immediately. "Oh God, I can't look at him!" She closed her eyes and put her hands on her head.

"It's okay, you won't need to look at him." Bucky guided her out of the kitchen. "Go to the bathroom, take a shower and try to stay calm. I'll take care of his body, no one will ever find him." Bucky gave her another hug. He was sure he could dispose Rollin's body without leaving a trace; it wasn't his first time cleaning someone else's mess. "I'm gonna borrow your car."

"Thank you, James." Harley said, weak. She gave him a quick kiss and headed for the bathroom, stumbling around the walls.

Harley kept staring at herself in the mirror, naked. The water was already running in the shower, but she didn't move. It had been a long time since she hadn't seen herself in such a horrible state. The scars she already had on her body became even more prominent under the dry blood. She felt dirty, disgusting… a monster.

She stepped into the shower and let the water run over her, without a hurry. She could see the red being washed away into the drain. She sat there, with her back against the cold wall, not feeling capable of getting up by herself. She wanted to scream her lungs out but she was tired, even for that. She closed her eyes and lowered her head, hoping that the water would also wash away the nightmares that would certainly come.

* * *

" _Harley? Are you alright in there?"_ Harley heard Bucky's worried voice from the other side of the door.

"I'm fine." Harley answered, alarmed. How long had been since she entered the shower? "I'll be out in a minute!" She got up, washed her hair with some shampoo and rubbed her body with the sponge, leaving no trace of remaining blood behind.

She stepped out of the shower and quickly put a towel on her head so her hair would dry faster. Harley grabbed her bathrobe, not bothering to dry her body and headed out for the door. James was just outside, waiting for her.

"Dammit, Harley! I thought you were dead in there! It's been almost two hours since I left! I could hear the water running but no movement." Bucky said.

"I'm sorry, James… I fell asleep in there." Harley admitted, ashamed.

"Just don't scare me like that again and we'll be cool." He smiled, grabbing her hand with his metal one. "I had to use your phone, I hope you don't mind… I called Sam to let him know where I was."

"You had to call Sam… What about Steve?" Harley asked, confused.

"Steve had to go out on a mission. He didn't tell us what it was, just that it was an Avengers kind of thing." Bucky shrugged.

"Avengers… That means Red's with him! Oh, finally some good news!" Harley sighed relieved, removing the towel from her head and dropping it on the ground.

"Who's Red?" Bucky raised an eyebrow, his tone lightly annoyed.

"Her name is Natasha; she's my friend and Steve's as well. I'm sure you'll meet her eventually." Harley answered. "Oh my God, why are we even talking about this? We have bigger problems to worry about!" She said, suddenly changing her tone. "What happened to his body?"

"Easy there, fruitcake." Bucky said, what caused Harley to frown. "It's been taken care of, you won't ever need to worry about it again, I guarantee. And the kitchen is also in order; I cleaned it up before disposing the body."

"But where…"

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Bucky interrupted her. At this rate, Rollins was now a Cement Company's problem.

"But… What about us?" Harley asked, hesitating. "I mean… You saw what I did to him, James. How can this not affect what's going on here, I can't…"

"Don't." Bucky raised his hand. "I won't say that it didn't shock me because it did, but I already said that I'm not leaving you. And I meant it. I'm not going anywhere, Harley. We're together in this." He smiled, sincere.

"Oh my God, James." Harley pulled him in for a hug, wrapping her hands around his waist. "What would I do without ya? I don't even know how I'll ever be able to thank you!"

"Just try not to make this a hobby… I'm fine with that." He smiled at her and gave her a kiss.

Harley responded to that urge, moving her hands from his waist to his neck, running her fingers through his long hair. He tightened up the grip on her waist, running his hands on her back. Harley had almost forgot the fact that she was naked apart from the bathrobe that was already starting to come off. She got away from Bucky's grip, looking ashamed.

"Oh my God, Harley." He said, nervous. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to go that far, I would never…"

"Don't apologize… It's my fault." Harley sighed. "I don't want to encourage you or anything. The truth is… I don't know if I'll ever be ready for an interaction like _this_ again." She noticed Bucky was staring at her shoulder that was on display from the action.

"What happened there?" He asked, still staring at the huge scar that Harley covered immediately, pulling the bathrobe on top of it.

"I can't." She shook her head.

"Harley, you need to trust me. I trust you." Bucky got closer to her. "Come on, honey… you can tell me."

Harley took a deep breath. "Remember what I said about my ex-partner?" Bucky nodded. "Well, I didn't tell you the whole thing but I imagine you figured it out by now."

"He did this to you?" Bucky asked, although he already knew the answer.

"This is nothing compared to what I had to endure for three whole years." She let out an emotionless laugh. "I have a collection of them, all over my body. I'd show it to ya, but… I don't want to make you nauseous. I avoid looking at them myself." She admitted, ashamed. "You're not the only one with the reminder of the 'monster' you used to be attached to your body like a disease."

Bucky took a while to respond, still processing the information. He was trying his best to avoid picturing Harley being tortured and abused. "That card on the floor… What does that mean?"

"That's he's 'business card'." Harley rolled her eyes. "He was known as "The Joker", obviously that wasn't he's real name. No one knows where he came from or who he used to be before turning into a psychotic clown. Not even me. He only told me some sob stories about his abusive childhood, how his father killed his mother in front of him and then deformed his face. It was nothing but lies, and I bought it. I was so stupid!" Harley put her hands in her head. "So… you can imagine my reaction when I opened that envelope and found that card inside. I couldn't breathe… But it was Rollins, that sick son of a bitch, all along. He was a deranged freak like that clown… nothing more than that. I hope they can both live crazily ever after now, in wherever dark pit they are. Crazy fucks." Harley said, bitter.

"I'm sorry, Harley." Bucky finally said. "It really hurts me to know you've been through so much."

"Don't pity me." Harley interrupted him. "Or yourself. We've had enough of that, I'm done!" She yelled. "Don't you see? We met for a reason James, I know it! We are gonna fight our demons together and screw everything else!"

"You know what?" He said, studying her. "I like you when you get upset." He gave her a playful smirk. Harley couldn't help but smile too, lightening up. Suddenly, it didn't matter anymore. They were both damaged and together. That was enough for her.

"So…" Harley said, untying her bathrobe, that quickly slipped through her body and fell to the ground. "Did ya ask 'Daddy Sam' if you could spend the night?"

"I think we have more important things to worry about right now." Bucky said, smiling from ear to ear, not even noticing the scars, while carrying a laughing Harley to the bedroom.

* * *

"Holy… damn!" Harley said, exhausted, collapsing against Bucky's chest. "What are you made of? Steel?"

"I'll take that as a compliment." He said, resting his hand on Harley's head. "You get tired really easy."

"Easy?! What, are ya kidding me?" She replied, raising her head to look at him. "You turned me upside down five times!"

"I though you enjoyed it." Bucky laughed.

"Of course I did… I've never felt anything like this before." Harley said, serious.

"You had never…?" Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, no. Of course I had. But it was nothing like this. Not with feelings, emotions, or even gentle touches. It was rough and painful… You know what? Let's change the subject, I don't wanna ruin this moment." She rolled to his side, resting her head on his regular arm.

"Me neither." Bucky said, holding her close. "Who knew our ordinary day would end up like this?"

"From an innocent lunch to a homicide that lead to best sex I've ever had… not bad." She laughed.

"Took the words out of my mouth, sweetheart." Bucky kissed the top of her head, not wanting to let her go anymore. "Wish we could stay like this… just us and the mess that is our lives."

"Two damaged minds can work great together." Harley said while Bucky played with her hair.

"I believe in that a hundred percent." He smiled and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Hold on, cowboy!" Harley said, pushing him away. "I'm not ready for a round six, plus, it's late. I think you should go before Daddy Sam calls Daddy Steve and things get out of hand." She got up from the bed, putting her robe on and throwing Bucky's clothes at him.

"Wherever you say, honey." He got up as well and started to get dressed.

"You are so gorgeous." Harley said while looking at him half-naked, hypnotized.

"You're gonna make me blush." He said, sarcastic, rolling his eyes.

"Cocky son of a bitch." Harley laughed, giving him a kiss and biting his lower lip. "Seriously, get going. I'm exhausted!"

"Promise to visit me tomorrow?" He held her tightly.

"I'll think about it." She smirked.

"I'll be waiting." Bucky gave her a last kiss before releasing her from the grip and heading out for the door. He stopped for a moment when he noticed the Joker card he had placed on the little table. "You're sure you'll be fine by yourself?"

Harley followed his eyes, noticing the card as well. "I will. Don't worry." She smiled.

"Call me if you need anything. I'm thinking about getting a cellphone." He said while stepping out of the room, smiling back at her.

* * *

"What the hell happened today?" Sam asked while Bucky entered the apartment. "I nearly called Steve!"

"I'm glad you didn't." Bucky answered, vague.

"What were you guys doing all night? It's four in the morning!" Sam asked before even realizing the obvious answer. "Okay, that was a dumb question, don't answer it."

"Thanks Samuel. I wasn't planning on sharing the details, anyway." Bucky laughed, lying on the couch.

"That was fast. I mean… the bonding between you two." Sam said when Bucky looked at him confused.

"She gets me. It's good having her around, she's been helping me a lot." Bucky replied.

"But what about Steve?"

"What about him?" Bucky asked.

"He's been trying to help you, too. A lot, actually." Sam let it out.

"I know that. And I appreciate it, really. You too, Sam. But Ha… Claire, she's different. Steve was my friend, still is, and not remembering some of our moments together pains me." Bucky confessed. "Maybe someday I'll remember it all. For now, I'm good about how things are going."

"I'm glad to hear that, James." Sam got up from the couch. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. Staying here waiting for your ass to get home took it's tool on me."

Bucky laughed while Sam headed for the bedroom. He accommodated himself on the couch, falling asleep right there, revisiting the great moments he shared with Harley on that wonderfully strange day.


	13. Chapter 13

_The translation to what Bucky says in Russian can be found at the bottom of the chapter._

* * *

 **CHAPTER 13: The Mask Has Fallen**

" _Hey Sam, how's everything?"_

"Hey there, Cap. Everything's fine, actually..." Sam gave a malicious smile towards Bucky and Harley, who were sitting hugged at the couch. "I could say they are great, if you can believe it."

Bucky rolled his eyes to the little tease; he and Harley had asked Sam not to tell Steve about the evolving of their relationship for now.

" _That's wonderful to hear!"_ Steve said with relief.

"But how about you? You guys managed to take care of the problems over there?"

" _Yes, actually that's why I'm calling. Stark is planning a little party over here tonight to celebrate our victory and uh… well, I'm not really sure if you guys would like to come, I'm still a little reluctant about Bucky coming here; he might get uncomfortable around all these people, besides it's on the last minute."_

"If you don't mind me saying Steve, I think it would be good for him. Especially if Claire went along." Sam smirked again.

" _Yes, Claire, definitely. I was about to call her as well. So, if that's the case, do you think you can manage to come, then?"_

"Absolutely! So it's settled. We'll be there."

" _Just make sure to come by driving. I really don't want Bucky on an airport."_ Steve warned, concerned.

"You got it, Cap. Guess I'll have to get ready for almost 4 hours on the road. At least it's still morning." Sam sighed.

" _I knew I could count on you, Sam. See you guys later, then! Drive safe!"_ Steve said, hanging off the phone.

"What was that all about?" Harley asked, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean 4 hours on the road?"

"We just got invited to a party tonight. But we'll have to get moving right now if we wanna make it to New York while there's still sunlight."

"You can't be serious!" Bucky replied, frowning.

"But I am, now get moving, you two!" Sam ordered. "Claire, I think you should go home and pack a few clothes, something a bit formal, after all it's a party at Tony Stark's place; we gotta be looking neat!"

"Oh, boy!" Harley sighed. "Fine, I'll leave my car at home and meet you guys back here in about an hour." She gave James a quick kiss and headed out for the door.

"A party? Really?" Bucky was still reluctant about the whole idea. "I don't even have an outfit for a party!"

"It'll be fun, man. Don't worry about the clothes, luckily for you, your roommate's got some style." Sam said, amused while Bucky followed him to the bedroom to start packing.

* * *

The trip hasn't exactly been fun or exciting; Harley slept most of the way. The idea alone of being nearly 4 hours inside of a driving car already made her sleepy. But it all changed once they parked in front of former Star Tower, the magnificent monument of Tony Stark's ego. Now there was a huge "A" inlaid at the top.

"Holy smokes!" Harley let out, lowering her sunglasses, amazed by the building.

"It's… big." Bucky said, intimidated.

"What? You're scared of a tall construction?" Sam asked, getting out of the car.

"It's not the building that worries me." Bucky said, bitter, also stepping out of the vehicle. "It's what's expecting us inside."

"Nah, stop babbling. Help me with the bags, will you?" Sam replied, amused, opening the trunk.

While James and Sam were busy with the luggage, Harley made her way to the front of the building. When she reached the entrance, an alarm started ringing, causing her to jump.

" _Alert! Security breach at the Tower's entrance! Alert! Security breach at the Tower's entrance!"_

"Aw, come on!" Harley yelled, annoyed. "What's the deal?"

"Harl?" A familiar voice called her from the other side of the gate.

"Red!" Harley greeted her, relieved. "Can you shut this stupid thing down? I haven't done anything!"

"It's Stark's damn security system. Hold on." Natasha said, stepping inside of the tower for a minute. The alarm suddenly stopped as the gate started to open when the red haired came back to the front of the building. "Done."

"Thanks!" Harley said, giving her a hug. "It's so good to see ya again! I was worried about your stubborn ass! Love ya new hairstyle, by the wat!"

"I'm touched." Natasha rolled her eyes. "I missed you too, _Claire_. Wow, guess three's a crowd, as they say!" She noticed Sam and Bucky approaching them.

"Hey there, Nat!" Sam greeted her. "Long time no see! How you're doing?"

"Never better." She replied, smirking. "Hello there, Barnes." She nodded towards Bucky.

"Hi." He said, lowering his head. Harley rushed to his side, grabbing his hand, realizing his unsettling.

"Okay, then." Natasha said, a bit confused, turning around. "Follow me guys. It'll be quite the reception up there, especially because of Rogers." She giggled, guiding them to the elevator.

"How tall is this thing, anyway?" Harley asked once they were all inside the elevator.

"Afraid of highs?" Natasha teased.

"Ya not really asking me that, are you?" Harley rolled her eyes, annoyed. Jumping off the last floor of a building would never had been an option if she were scared of highs.

The elevator doors opened to reveal a large room where everything was very fancy looking. Steve came rushing to them in an eye blink.

"Thank God it's you, guys! We all got jumped because of that alarm!" He said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Nothing you couldn't manage, I'm sure, Cap!" Sam said, playful, dropping the bags. Bucky proceeded to do the same thing, still holding Harley's hand.

"I'm just glad to see you all here, in safety." Steve glanced at Bucky and Harley smiling sincere noticing their intertwined hands.

"Yes, it's all very touching and warming, really melts my heart!" Tony appeared in the room. "But… my security system it's never wrong. Never!" He looked at Harley, suspicious. "So, since the little lady here was the first to approach the gate – by the way, I was watching from the cameras – I assume it was her who triggered the alarm."

"Stark, you're being paranoid." Natasha said, trying to disguise her concern.

"Yes, I will surely take your word for granted, Miss Secretary." Tony glared at Natasha before approaching Harley, who was petrified. "So, is there something you would like to confess, miss?"

"Get away from her." Bucky warned, tightening the grip on Harley's hand.

"Oh yes, HYDRA's creature of habit. Steve warn me about your temper." Tony smiled, malicious.

"Stark!" Steve rushed to Tony's side, ready to come between them if necessary. "I thought we had an agreement." A man, who Harley assumed was a scientist since he was wearing a lab coat, stepped inside of the room because of the commotion, followed by a tall blonde man and another one Harley figured was Clint by what she heard from Natasha. Not to mention, Agent Maria Hill. Great, an audience formed by the World's Mightiest Heroes, things were getting exciting.

"Yes, we had, but right now I would like to know why there's a convicted criminal in my Tower." Everyone stared at Harley and Bucky to those words.

"Stark, what are you talking about?" Steve asked, nervous.

"The fingerprints of everyone in this room, apart from the cave-man's over here, are registered in my security system." He gave Bucky a quick glance. "Along with it are their backgrounds, their criminal files, every single bad thing they've done." He kept staring at Harley. "No one here triggered my alarm because they have permission to enter my tower, despite the red in their ledgers. I even have _your_ name and fingerprints registered there, Miss Hogue. But, since you breached my security, I assume that's not your real name, am I right?"

"Claire, let's go, you don't need to hear this." Steve approached Harley but Tony continued.

"You know something about her, don't you?" Tony looked from Steve to Natasha. "You both do! Or should I say… the three of you do." He looked at Bucky, challenger. "But I know something better; if she doesn't talk right now, she's out of here! I won't let an unknown criminal sleeping under my roof!"

"Okay, fine!" Harley yelled, removing her hand form Bucky's grip. "I'll talk, dammit, I'll tell everything ya wanna know, ya egocentric prick!"

"Ooh, Brooklyn spice, I like were this is going!" Tony replied, amused.

"Yeah? Well, it gets better!" Harley said, sarcastic. "I'll give ya all a really good show, if that's what ya want!" She looked at everyone's surprised faces.

"Harl, please!" Natasha said before even realizing it.

"Harl?" Steve asked, confused.

"No, not Harl… Harleen; or, if ya prefer, Harley!" She opened her arms and started to walk in circles around the room. "Yes! _Harley Quinn_! The nut case from Gotham City, deranged henchgirl of the homicidal maniac clown better known as 'The Joker'! Former Arkham Asylum patient! Batman's number one female adversary! How about ya give him a little call and let him know exactly where I am, huh?! There! You all happy now? Did you got what you wanted? Or will there be anything else?!"

The whole room was silent; so silent you could hear a pin being dropped. Nobody spoke; they didn't even know what to say after that. Harley just stood there, immobile, trying as hard as she could to hold back her tears. When she couldn't fight them anymore, Bucky hurried to her side.

"No, let me go!" Harley pushed him away and ran to the balcony. She needed to get some air, but above all, she needed to be alone. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna jump. One time was enough for me!" She replied when Bucky mentioned to stop her.

"Well that was… unexpected." Tony was the first one to speak.

"Unexpected?! You forced her to expose herself, you fucking moron!" Bucky said, approaching Tony.

"Uh, just so you know, Rogers doesn't like that kind of language." Tony pointed at Steve.

"That's not the time for jokes, Stark! Come on Buck, let's get you out of here as well." Steve said, guiding Bucky to the kitchen.

"I'm gonna break that guy in half Steve, I fucking swear!" Bucky said, sitting on a stool.

"No you won't. That's the way Stark is, it takes a while to get used to it." Steve leaned on the balcony. "Did you know about all that?"

"Of course I did! She told me everything!" Bucky closed his eyes for a moment. "You have no idea of the horrors in that girl's past. She did bad things, but so did I. I'm not giving up on her, Steve. If Stark tosses her out of here, I'm going too. Just want you to know that… Why are you smiling?"

"I've just never seen you so determined about a girl before. Not once." Steve admitted.

"Things were different. She needs me… And I need her, too." Bucky got up from the stool. "I'm going to check on her."

* * *

Could this week get any worse? First, an obsessed Joker worshiper attacks her in her own apartment. Then, she is forced to kill said man to protect not only her life, but also her secret. And of course, to top it all off, a playboy billionaire forces her to expose the damn secret in front of an audience of superheroes.

"Harley?"

"Please leave me alone!" She replied without turning to face whoever was bothering her.

"I think you once told me that nobody wants to be alone." Bucky said, approaching her.

"Yeah, but I do! In fact, it's what I deserve. To die alone!" Harley turned to face him.

"You know you don't mean that. Look, it doesn't matter what they think… We're together in this, you and me. And no one it's going to take you away without getting through me first." Bucky said, hugging her.

Harley let out a giggle. "No offense, tough guy, but ya couldn't stand a chance if the big Bat showed up to escort me back to Arkham." She put her arms around his waist, returning the hug.

"What makes you so sure?"

"A long period of experience." She said, looking deep into his eyes.

"Well, let's hope I'll never have to prove you wrong, then." Bucky said, giving her a loving kiss.

"Sorry to interrupt the moment, but I need a little time-alone with the clown girl." Stark said, appearing on the balcony.

"You're not taking her anywhere." Bucky said, still holding her close.

"It's fine, James." Harley said, getting away from him. "I'll be okay. Don't worry."

"See, Romeo? The girl can take care of herself, don't worry about it." Stark teased, smirking before leading Harley to the hallway.

"Where are you taking me, Stark?" Harley asked, nervous.

"A place where we can talk in private, I thought you got that part." He replied, sarcastic.

Harley rolled her eyes as they stopped in front of a security door. Tony dialed a number combination and the door opened, revealing a magnificent office.

"All right, missy. Sit down; I don't have all day, still have some very important things to take care of at the lab." Tony pointed at the chair.

"Charming." Harley replied.

" _Will you need anything, Sir?"_

"Who the hell said that?" Harley jumped.

"No, thank you Jarvis, this will be a private conversation. Just don't let anyone disturb me." Tony said, casual, taking a seat at the chair across Harley.

" _Very well, Sir."_

"What was that?" Harley asked, again.

"That would be Jarvis, my faithful and extremely efficient butler."

"Your… butler?"

"Alright, let's get down to business. The reason why we're having this little chat it's because I… well, I kind of like the idea of meeting you, in person." Tony said, amused.

"What?" Harley raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Yes, I've seen some of the horrors you and your boyfriend caused, giving some other 'hero' a hard time, the last part I actually think it's very funny, by the way." Tony paused expecting Harley to say something, but she remained quiet. "So… I'm not going to be a snitch and call the police or whoever might be interested in your arrest. We're just going to forget this whole thing and move on from here as improbable friends."

"Do ya expect me to forget the little show you made me put up with? All I wanted right now is to kick that grin off your silly face, creep. But… I am a different person now. I've changed, for the better. I'm not going to throw all that away because of a jerk like you!" Harley said, annoyed. "By the way, why don't ya just admit that Hill called Fury and he told ya not to do anything against me because _he_ was the one who recruited and protected me in the first place?" Harley gave him a malicious smile.

"I was about to get there, but you obviously don't like to waste time. Like me. Okay, this conversation is officially over, you are dismissed." Tony said as Harley got up from the chair. "Oh, and one more thing… While you and the cave-man are here, try not to break anything in the room, okay?" Tony gave her a cocky smile.

"Jerk!" Harley said, rolling her eyes before closing the door loudly. She made her way back to where everyone was, still ashamed of looking at their faces after her fiasco.

"Hey Harl." Natasha came her way. "I'm sorry about everything that happened. Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, Red. Don't worry, you have nothing to be sorry about. Anyways, I already talked to the big man in charge and we are not going to have any kinds of surprises for now." Harley smiled to her.

"That relieves me. Things are getting quite difficult around here." Natasha sighed.

"Yeah, I noticed. What's going on between you and the hunky doctor over there?" Harley made a head gesture towards where Bruce Banner was sitting.

"What?" Natasha asked, surprised.

"Aw, come on Nat, it's pretty obvious." Harley laughed.

"It's not like that, Harl. It's complicated. You do know who he is… when he is angry, right?"

"Yeah, that big green monster who broke the Harlem once. I remember seeing something on the papers. And Stark thinks I'm a threat… jerk. No offence, by the way."

"None taken. But I'm not the only one caught up in a complicated situation… are you and Barnes…?"

"Having sex? Yeah, like maniacs." Harley said, casual.

"That's not what I was going to ask!" Natasha replied, laughing.

"I know Red, just wanted to see the look in your face!" Harley giggled seeing how embarrassed Natasha looked. "No, but seriously now, we get along. We are kind of each other's anchor, preventing the other from sinking and losing their mind… I like him. I really do."

"Well, I'm happy for you, then." Natasha smirked.

"Thanks, Red. Do you know where he is?" Harley asked.

"Steve took him to his floor. Follow me, I'll take you there." Natasha said, leading Harley to the elevator.

"His own floor?" Harley asked, surprised.

"What, you think Stark would have us sharing a bunk bed?" Natasha smirked.

"Ya got me, Red." Harley smiled, watching the elevator doors shutting in front of them.

* * *

"You have to calm down, Buck. She's tough, you know that." Steve said while sketching on his little notebook.

"I'm just worried about that whole exposure. She wasn't ready for that, Steve." Bucky continued to walk in circles around the room. He couldn't stand still.

The elevator doors opened and Harley almost jumped out of it, rushing towards Bucky's arms. Natasha and Steve gave each other a quick glance followed by an amused smile.

"Should we leave you two alone?" Steve asked, smiling.

"No, no! Sorry, I just wanted to announce the good news." Harley said, getting away from Bucky.

"What happened down there?" Bucky asked, anxious.

"Silly, I already said it was good news! I'm not going anywhere!"

"See, Buck? I told you!" Steve tapped Bucky on the back. "Now we can finally relax and enjoy the party."

"You sure you still want me to go? I mean, after all that's happened, I'm afraid someone may talk." Harley said, nervous.

"Don't worry, Harley. Everything will be fine; nobody here is going to point fingers at you. We've all done things we're not proud of." He gave Natasha a quick glance. "What matters is that you chose to move on and become a better person." Steve said, sincere.

"Ya always know the right thing to say, Cap. Thanks!" Harley gave him a hug as well. It was good to know there was still people on her side, despite everything.

"We should go and get ready for the party Harl, before your boyfriend goes on a jealous rampage over here." Natasha said, noticing the expression on Bucky's face.

"Укуси меня." He said to Natasha, who laughed in response.

"Am I supposed to know what that means?" Harley raised an eyebrow.

"Trust me, it's nothing you haven't heard before. Let's go, we have to get dressed." Natasha pushed Harley into the elevator. "I already have your bags in your floor, so don't worry."

"My own floor, I like the sound of that! I just hope everything goes right at this party tonight. Luck hasn't been on my side lately." Harley sighed, hoping for the best.

* * *

"Sounds like a hell of a fight, sorry I missed it." Sam said after Steve told him in private about the mission.

"If I had known it was going to be a firefight and if you were not in charge of taking care of Bucky, I absolutely would have called you." Steve replied, smiling.

"No, I'm not actually sorry. I'm just trying to sound tough." Sam laughed. "Speaking of Bucky… He looks calm, doesn't he?" He said, watching Bucky from the other side of the room.

"Yeah, I'm relieved." Steve let out. "Where's Harley?"

"I think she's still getting ready. You know… women." Sam tapped Steve on the shoulder.

Bucky was sitting on a little couch, watching the people around him, trying to blend in. He was wearing a simple suit, something that would hide his metal arm, and a pair of black gloves. Everyone was talking and laughing, some were even dancing; he couldn't picture himself interacting like that with any of those people. Unless if they were…

"Hey there, Soldier." He heard that familiar voice and looked up, caught immediately by surprise. She was looking stunning, like he had never seen before. That red dress made her stood out from the others in the room; or maybe it was simply the fact that he had no eyes for anyone else but her.

"What? Cat got ya tongue?" Harley smiled watching Bucky's admiring expression.

"You look beautiful!" He stood up, taking her hand in his.

"You don't look so bad yourself… I like the way you look in a suit." She winked at him, playful.

"Funny." He said, amused.

"Wanna dance?" Harley asked.

"Uh… Don't take it personal, but I rather stay out of sight tonight. And I think you should, too."

"Okay, we can stay here on this couch the whole night, sounds like real fun." Harley rolled her eyes, giving him a kiss on the cheek before taking a seat.

"I knew you'd understand." He smiled at Harley, sitting on the couch beside her.

Harley noticed Natasha stepping out of the bar after her conversation with the scientist was over. "Stay here sugar, I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Bucky asked, but she was already far away.

"Sooo… are ya gonna tell me about you and the doctor now?" Harley approached Natasha from the back, grabbing her shoulders.

"There's nothing to tell, Harley… Yet." Natasha smirked.

"I was watching you two… You're thinking about running with it?" Harley raised an eyebrow, giving Natasha a malicious smile.

"Like I said, Harl, it's complicated. I mean, it's not like we are gonna get married and raise a family together."

"Says who? What stops you?" Harley asked. Natasha became serious all of a sudden. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just not drunk enough for this conversation, that's all. One day I'll tell you the whole thing, but not right now." She gave Harley a comforting smile before heading back to the bar.

"Yeah, right." Harley said to herself.

* * *

Most of the people had left the party already, including Sam, who had to be at the V.A in the next day. It was a tough discussion, but in the end, Steve agreed to let Harley and Bucky sleeping in the tower that night. They were going to be taken to Washington in Sam's car on the next day by one of Tony's drivers. At least Sam could return to DC on an airplane.

Everyone went upstairs on a little "VIP" area, where they were drinking, laughing, and pretty much, having a good time. Harley and Bucky were sitting a bit far from the rest of the group, but everyone made sure they were included in the conversation.

"Right, so, if I lift it, then I rule Asgard?" Stark asked after Clint's failed attempt to lift Thor's hammer.

"Yes, of course." Thor answered, casual.

"I will be re-instituting Prima Nocta." Tony said, grabbinh the hammer's handle. After a huge effort, the hammer didn't move an inch. "Be right back." Stark returned with the hand of one of his suits, but still, even with Rhodes assistance, they both couldn't move the object.

After Banner's also failed attempt, Steve was actually able to move the hammer just a little bit, although he didn't seem to notice.

"I saw that." Harley whispered in Bucky's ear, laughing.

"And, Widow?"

"Oh, no no, that's not a question I need answered." Natasha said, leaning back with her beer.

"What about you two?" Thor asked, amused.

"I've had my share of playing with hammers, sorry boys." Harley shrugged.

"Come on, cave-man! Why don't you show us what your super arm can do?" Stark teased.

"There are plenty more ways for me to show you what it does, Stark, don't worry." Bucky smiled, sarcastic.

All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged." Stark continued.

"You bet your ass." Clint said.

"Steve, he said a bad language word." Agent Hill pointed out, playful.

"Did you tell everyone about that?" Steve asked, annoyed.

"The handle's imprinted, right? Like a security code... "Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints" is, I think, the literal translation?"

"Yes, well that's uh, that's a very, very interesting theory. But I have a simpler one:  
You are all not worthy." Thor said, picking up the hammer as if it was the effortless thing in the world.

The group started to laugh and complain when a loud shrieking noise filled the room making everyone's ears hurt.

"What the hell is going on?" Harley asked, covering her ears.

"Worthy..." A voice coming from below was heard. Everyone's heads turned in it's direction. "No...How could you be worthy? You're all killers." One of Stark's suits, thought very damaged and almost falling apart, was walking towards the center of the room. The voice was coming from it.

"Stark?" Steve said, not taking his eyes from the armor.

"Jarvis?" Tony called, but got no answer.

"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or...I was a dream?" The armor continued.

"Reboot. Legionnaire 06's got a buggy suit." Tony said, pressing several buttons on his little pocket-device.

"There was this terrible noise and I was tangled in... in... strings." The suit kept talking, not seeming to realize what was going on. Everyone was paralyzed watching the talking robot. "Had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy. "

"You killed someone?" Steve asked, challenger.

"Wouldn't've been my first call. But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices." The armor replied.

"Who sent you?" Thor inquired.

" _I see a suit of armor around the world."_ Tony's voice was heard out of nowhere.

"Ultron!" Banner exclaimed, shocked.

"In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this...chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission." The machine answered. Agent Hill could be seen getting her gun ready.

"What mission?" Natasha asked.

"Peace in our time." At the machine's statement, several suits started to crash from the walls, attacking the group.

Everyone fell to the ground, getting away from the machines. Steve kicked the table but the impact made him fall backwards.

"Harley!" Bucky screamed, reaching out for Harley's hand.

"I'm here!" Harley said, getting away from behind the couch.

A fierce battle was engaged. Shots were being fired; furniture was being thrown at all directions while the Avengers were struggling to fight the army of robots.

"Harl!" Natasha yelled, throwing Harley a pistol.

"Thanks, Red!" Harley said, grabbing the gun and shooting the flying machines. Bucky was able to tear several of them apart thanks to his metal arm. After a long action, the group seemed to have cleared up the room. All that was left was Stark's talking armor.

"I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through." The armor said, enjoying the spotlight. "You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to...evolve? With these? These puppets?" The machine grabbed a defeated suit from the ground, smashing it's head. "There's only one path to peace. The Avengers' extinction." At those words, Thor threw his hammer, tearing the talking robot to pieces. _"I had strings, but now I'm free."_

* * *

After the battle, the group, apart from Thor, went to the lab; Stark and Banner wanted some answers. Everything was gone; the program called "Ultron" seemed to be more destructive than they thought.

"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other." Natasha said, making Harley's heart almost jump out of her chest.

"He's in your files, he's in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?" Rhodes pointed out.

"Nuclear codes." Maria Hill answered.

"I'm sorry; I just can't stand this conversation anymore!" Harley said, stepping out of the room. Bucky didn't take long to follow her.

"What's going on, are you okay?" Bucky asked, grabbing her arm.

"Didn't you hear what they said? If this Ultron accessed my files, James, I'm screwed! Everyone, not only in Gotham, but everywhere, will know that I'm alive and under a fake identity!" Harley shut her eyes firmly. "God, will I ever have a break? Why does everything has to go wrong, all the time?!" She yelled, furious.

"Let's not worry about that right now." Bucky answered, trying to hide his concern. "It's been a rough night. We clearly can't do much around here, but those guys can. They'll take care of it. As for us… We need a long night of sleep."

"If I can get any." Harley replied, following James to the elevator, her heart still racing.

* * *

 _Translation: Bite me._


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14: Not an Avenger  
**

Harley opened her eyes slowly, it seemed like she barely had any sleep. She felt something holding her, looking down she saw it was Bucky's arm around her waist. He was deep asleep beside her, so she tried not to wake him up while leaving the bed.

"Did you manage to get any sleep?" Bucky asked when she turned around.

"Not much. What about you?" Harley asked, removing her pajamas and throwing in some decent clothes.

"Kinda hard to, you were tossing and turning a huge portion of the night." He sat up on the bed, watching her.

"Sorry, baby. But how'd you expect me not to? I'm still freaking out about this whole thing!"

"Steve's on the case. I trust him. Nothing is going to happen to you." Bucky said, getting up and putting some clothes on as well.

"You know isn't just about me… I'm worried for you, too. You are one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I wouldn't know what to do if I lost you all of a sudden." Harley admitted, giving him a hug.

"You won't. That's a promise." He kissed the top of her head. "We should go to the main floor, see what they're doing. Maybe we could help out with something."

"Sounds good to me." Harley said, grabbing his hand and marching towards the elevator.

"Morning lovebirds. Did you break anything last night?" Tony asked when Harley and Bucky entered the room holding hands.

"Morning Stark, ya sound pretty excited! Why don't you ask that to the murdering bloodthirsty demon robot from Hell you created yesterday?" Harley said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I love having her around, can I keep her?" Tony asked when Harley and Bucky joined Steve on the other side of the room. He was holding a tablet, probably looking at some photo.

"I already talked to Tony's driver; you'll be leaving in the afternoon." Steve said.

"We're not going anywhere, Steve." Bucky replied.

"Yes you are, Buck. This is way too dangerous for both of you." Steve said, demanding.

"Come on, you need us! We were able to help you out last night!" Bucky said, firmly.

"It's not just the robot, Buck. We encountered two enhanced on our last mission, we still don't know what they're up to, but they teamed up with Ultron. You think I want you involved in this?"

"What happened to 'I'm with you till the end of the line?" Bucky asked, causing Steve to cringe. "I meant it when I said that. Did you?"

Steve took a while to respond. "Fine. But you'll stay out of the line of fire unless it is extremely necessary!" He said, marching towards Thor and Natasha with the tabled in hands.

"What's this?" Tony asked.

"A message." Steve replied. "Ultron killed Strucker."

"Who's Strucker? Sounds like a vampire's name." Harley asked, confused.

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us." Tony said, looking at the picture. "By the way, I really want to adopt her." He pointed at Harley.

"Real artist's work, right there!" Harley said while looking at the photo over Tony's shoulder of a dead man with the word "Peace" written in blood on the wall beside him.

After Natasha's failed attempt to access the dead man's files, the group moved on to search on the archives. The tables were full of heavy boxes filled with papers.

"Wait, I know that guy." Stark said when Banner pulled out a file from one of the boxes. They moved to the computer to make a deeper search about the brand mark showed on the man's neck. Banner mentioned an African dialect called "Wakanda."

"If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods..." Tony mentioned.

"I thought your father said he got the last of it?" Steve interrupted him.

"I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?" Bruce asked.

"The strongest metal on earth." Tony said, looking at the Captain's shield.

"Where is this guy now?" Steve asked, determined.

"Ooh, field trip! This is getting exciting!" Harley squealed.

* * *

"Alright, everyone. Get in position!" Steve said when the jet was parked far from the scrap area.

"I've never been to the African Coast before." Harley let out.

"Feel free to take some pictures while you're at it. But since the three of you won't see much apart from the inside of this ship, I figure it's pointless." Tony said while looking from Bruce to Bucky and Harley.

"Do you always need to give the final the word, Stark? I studied psychology; I can tell you what that means if you want." Harley laughed while the Avengers were getting ready to leave the ship.

"Whatever you do, don't leave this ship unless if it extremely necessary, you hear me?" Steve said to Bucky and Harley.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Harley made a salute gesture that made Steve giggle while Bucky had his face frowned.

"What?" Steve asked him.

"I'm not a kid, Steve. We can manage if things go wrong. You should go; your friends are waiting for you." Bucky said, getting up from the ship's bench and joining Harley on the other side.

* * *

"So… you and Red?" Harley asked Banner.

"Red?" He asked, confused.

"Natasha! Who else, dummy?" Harley laughed.

"Well, there's nothing, I mean… She likes to talk to me. That's about it." He answered, uncomfortable.

"And do ya like to listen to her?" She smiled.

"It's not like that, Claire, it's..." Banner said, quickly.

"Harley." She interrupted him. "That's okay, you can call me that. It's my name, after all." She looked at Bucky and smiled at him.

Several noises and gunshots could be heard coming from a distance. Banner got up immediately, approaching the control panel. Harley and Bucky got up as well.

"Guys? Is this a Code Green?" Banner asked, worried.

"What's going on?" Harley asked.

"I don't know, but I'm having a bad feeling about it." Banner said, opening the ship's main door.

For several minutes the three of them just stood there, trying to see what was going on at the vessels. Bruce apparently noticed something, but suddenly a blur knocked the trio down. Harley hit her head against the wall, while Bucky and Banner were pushed to the back of the ship.

"Whatahell?" Harley asked, after taking a while to open her eyes, still a bit dizzy. She noticed Banner was writhing at the back, weird sounds were coming out of his mouth. "Oh, no!" She said, rushing towards him.

"No, Harley!" Bucky yelled, raising his hand to stop her. "Stay there, don't come closer!"

Banner got up, stretching his arms and hitting Bucky on the face. He fell unconscious as the green monster started to make his way towards the outside of the ship.

"James!" Harley yelled, rushing towards him, before something made her stop. "What the…?" All she could see was red. She shut her eyes firmly, trying to make that gush of red color disappear from her eyes. When she finally opened them, she was in a completely different place.

The room was poorly illuminated, but still, strangely familiar. The only light source was coming from a knocked down lamp; the whole place seemed wrecked. A sad song could be heard coming from an old record player. Harley approached it, but before she could stop the music, she noticed the trail of blood coming from the hallway.

Harley took a deep breath before following the huge trail of fresh blood. She was taking her time, walking slowly, breathing heavily. The trail stopped in front of a closed door. For some reason she knew that that door lead to her former bedroom, in the apartment she lived in at Gotham City.

Her hands were shaking; she could barely reach the doorknob. Harley twisted it, but the door was firmly shut. She forced her weight against the door a couple of times, finally opening it. Harley wished she didn't, thought. The room was very dark, but she could still see the silhouette under a bloody sheet laid on the bed. Harley reached the light switch, turning it on. When the light filled the room, Harley's eyes widened to the wall above the bed, where a sentence written in blood could be read.

" **WHY SO SERIOUS?"**

Harley read it over and over to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her. After the tears were already flowing from her eyes, she approached the bed cautiously. She needed to know what – or who – was under that sheet. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the sheet away and immediately froze.

Bucky's body was lying there, immobile, with a carved smile on his face. His eyes were wide-open, staring back at hers. That couldn't be truth, she refused to believe it. Harley started to cry, harder this time, putting her hands in front of her face. It was there when she noticed something was wrong with her; she looked at her hands and saw that they were covered in fresh blood, still dripping from her fingers.

"No!" She whispered, looking down at her clothes. They were also soaked in blood, from her shoulders to her toes. "No, it can't be!" She shut her eyes firmly, moving her hands to the sides of her head.

" _Well done, cupcake!"_ That familiar voice whispered close to her ears, sending a shiver down her spine. Harley opened her eyes and turned around slowly. There he was, smiling like a proud father. His hair was falling in front of his eyes, the smudged make up covering his face, and those scars always followed by that sick smile. _"I knew you would do the right thing!"_

* * *

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Harley, calm down, it's me!" Bucky yelled, trying to hold her still.

"Noooo! Get away from me! I hate you!" Harley yelled, crying her eyes out.

"Sweetheart, it's me, James! Open your eyes, look at me!" He begged.

"J-James?" She said, opening her eyes slowly. "Oh, my God!" She got up, throwing herself in his arms. "Oh James, I thought… I thought you were d-dead!" She cried.

"No, it was just an accident. Doctor Banner knows his way around a punch." He said, holding her close.

"No! It wasn't that, it was… I saw you, dead. In front of me, like if it was real! I was so scared; I didn't know what to do!" She looked at him, terrified.

"What are you talking about, baby?" He asked, worried.

"And… And _he_ was there!" Her voice failed at those last words.

"Calm down, honey. Lay your head on me, try to ease your breathing. You are shaking, baby." He tightened up the grip around her, trying to make her feel safe. Truth was he was also terrified.

"Where are the others?" Harley asked.

"I don't know. They are probably going after Dr. Banner since he transformed into that giant green monster.

"Hey, you guys okay?" Clint asked, entering the ship, carrying Natasha, followed by Thor and Steve. All three looked like they just got back from Hell. Harley wasn't looking any different.

"She got you too, didn't she?" Clint said, studying Harley after helping Natasha sit down.

"She? I don't know, I didn't see anybody, all I know is that I had the worse experience of my life." Harley said, her head still burning.

"It's the enhanced." Steve said. "She's got the ability to manipulate someone's mind, making them see some of their worst fears or re-experience a terrible memory."

"Are you okay, Steve?" Bucky asked, cautious.

"I'll be fine, it's just a headache." Steve said, sitting down beside Natasha. She was very quiet, like the rest of the team. Harley never thought she would see the Avengers in such an unbalanced state. Things only got worse when Stark returned with Dr. Banner. He was in a complete shock and didn't talk to anybody. Instead, he wrapped himself in a blanket and sat down on the floor, his eyes widened. Harley felt really bad for him, he looked terrified. Whatever that enhanced girl did to him, it was bad.

* * *

The ship had been flying for a while now, Harley could see the night sky through the window. She was still wrapped up in Bucky's arms, trembling and scared.

"The news is loving you guys. Nobody else is." Maria Hill's voice was heard from the communicators. "There's been no official call for Banner's arrest, but it's in the air."

"Stark Relief Foundation?" Tony asked.

"Already on the scene." Hill replied. "How's the team?"

"Everyone's..." Tony looked at the group. "We took a hit. We'll shake it off."

"Do you mind if I fall asleep?" Harley asked Bucky.

"Not at all, honey." He answered, getting her more comfortable in his regular arm.

"If you wanna get some kip, now's a good time, 'cause there's still a few hours out." Harley overheard Clint talking to Stark.

"A few hours from...where?" Tony asked.

"A safe house." Clint answered.

" _A safe house... That's what I need right now. A little bit of safety."_ Harley thought, closing her eyes, involved by Bucky's embrace.

* * *

Harley opened her eyes slowly, still feeling a bit sick and disoriented. Through the small window in front of her, she could see it was night time. It took a while until Harley realized she was being watched by a small figure standing by the side of the bed she was lying.

"What the hell!" Harley jumped.

The little girl backed away a bit, recomposing herself fast.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!"

"Oh, of course not, you were just standing there quietly watching me while I sleep. Not creepy at all!" Harley said, ironically. She had never been fond of children.

The little girl let out a small laugh. "You're funny."

Yeah, I've heard that a few times." Harley said, unamused. Her head was aching. "Where am I, anyway? Is this another horrible hallucination?"

"You're at our house." She said, amused.

" _Our_ house? Why the hell am I here?" Had she been kidnapped?

"Because my dad brought you here. All of you!" The little girl said. "All your superheroes friends are down there in the kitchen. Can you believe it?" She turned her amused look towards the door, where another child, probably her older brother, was standing quietly.

Harley finally understood that this was probably one of the Avenger's house, more likely Clint's.

"Captain America is here!" The little boy said, shy. "How awesome is he, right? He's my idol!"

"If he's so cool, why aren't you down there annoying him instead of watching me while I sleep, kiddo?" Harley asked.

"Because they are talking top secret information. Dad sent us to our rooms, but we wanted to see if you would wake up, first. You got here passed out. They are going to call us when it's dinner time." The little girl widened her eyes. "We know who you are." She stopped for a moment before continuing. "You're the clown girl!" She whispered.

Harley's heart jumped after that. "Where did you hear that from?" She asked, scared.

"Iron Man told us." The boy said.

"Damn you, Stark!" Harley whispered, upset, yet relieved. If the kids had heard that from any recent news, she would be sure that Ultron released her files in the open. "Okay, you two are officially becoming some of the creepiest people I've ever met. And that's saying something!" Harley stoop up from the bed. "Excuse me." She said, leaving the room.

She went down the stairs, following the voices that were echoing through the hallway. She entered the kitchen to find all of the Avengers, plus Fury, sitting at the table, apparently getting ready for dinner. All their heads turned to Harley as she entered the room.

"About time, Snow White!" Tony greeted her.

"Don't you mean Sleeping Beauty, genius?" Harley teased.

Of course not, that would have been too obvious. Plus, Snow White fell into a death-like-sleep first." Tony said, superior.

"Hipster." Natasha said, playful, before turning back to Harley. "How you're feeling, Harl? You scared the hell out of us. Wanna grab something to eat?" She asked, clearly worried.

"No, I'm okay, Red. That is, if I'm able to ignore the fact that my head's exploding." Harley said, trying to sound indifferent.

"Are you sure?" Steve asked from across the room. Fury was standing by his side, studying Harley silently.

"Yes Cap, I'm fine." Harley forced a smile, avoiding the best she could Fury's gaze upon her. Of course she wasn't okay, not after everything that witch made her see. Suddenly, she noticed someone's absence. "Where's James?"

"He went outside to try and clear off his head. He's worried sick about you, but didn't want to stay in the room to avoid waking you up." Steve answered.

"Well, I think I'm in need of some fresh air as well." She said, walking towards the door. "Oh, and by the way Hawk, you should really consider casting your kids for a horror movie. I'm sure they would do great."

She didn't turn around to see Clint's reaction, she was more concerned about finding Bucky. She found him sitting on a small bench a bit afar from the house.

"Mind if I sit down?" She asked, causing him to turn around immediately.

"Oh, Harley!" He got up and held her. "I was so worried. You completely blacked out. They were considering taking you to a hospital."

"I don't know what happened. I thought I was fine… Guess I'm really not." She admitted, lowering her voice.

"What's troubling you? Was it the vision?" He asked, removing a lock of hair from her face.

"It's not just the vision, James." She looked up at him. "My intuition rarely fails… I don't think it's over." She said, trembling.

"What's not over?" He asked, confused.

"I'm not convinced, James. This is all too weird; Rollins showing up at my apartment, talking all kinds of crazy, I still can't understand that. I think… I think someone messed with his head and then sent him there." She cringed at the thought.

"Someone like who? HYDRA?" Bucky asked, fearing her answer.

"Someone like… No, I shot him! I shot him and then the whole floor exploded!" She shut her eyes, avoiding the rush of thoughts and doubts that were forming inside of her head.

"I checked your whole apartment when I was taking care of the body, I already told you. There was nothing there that indicated that you were bugged." Bucky said, trying to keep her calm.

"I didn't look when I took the shot. I simply fired against where I thought his body was and then I jumped." Harley continued, as if Bucky hadn't spoken.

"Honey, listen to me!" He held her head so she would look at him. "No one is after you! I understand you're scared. I have those moments, too. But if you attach yourself o them, you're gonna go crazy."

"I'm not crazy!" She yelled with wide eyes.

"I didn't say that, Harley! Will you listen to me for one second, dammit?!" He shouted.

"Is everything okay around here?" Steve asked, appearing in the garden.

"I have to get out of here!" Harley said, walking around the garden.

"I agree." Steve said, watching her, confused.

"Where can we get a ride back to DC around here?" Harley asked.

"I'll talk to Stark. It'll be best to get a jet or something. And you're going too." He pointed at Bucky.

"If she's going, I'm going. No argument there." Bucky answered, bitter.

"Hogue!" Fury called Harley from a distance. "I need to talk to you. _In private_." He said, glancing at Bucky, intimidating.

Harley sighed and went up to him. "Ya can stop calling me that, you know? Everybody here, including the children, thanks to Stark, know who I am."

"Yeah, I was informed about the whole situation. Also prevented Stark to give your old pals from Gotham a call." He said.

"I knew that already." Harley answered, rude. "What do you want?"

"To check on you. See if we are going to have a problem now that your secret is out." He answered. "You need to have in your mind that no one else knows about this, apart from the people in that house. You are still a dead woman."

"I have a bad feeling, Nick." Harley said, abruptly. "I keep thinking something terrible is going to happen, I just don't know when or how."

"It has something to do with your recent romance with James Barnes?" He stared at her.

"Goddamit, Stark!" Harley rolled her eyes.

"He's very excited about the whole thing." Fury replied.

"I'm going away. Just James and me. I can't deal with this anymore; superheroes, super powers, battles… I'm not an Avenger." Harley let out.

"You're not." Fury agreed. "But you were finally fighting on the right side."

"I guess." She lowered her head.

"So, you want a private jet to take you and the cave-man to DC, _tonight?!"_ Stark showed up, catching her off guard.

"Well, it's the least you can do, don'tcha think? After telling those kids about me, how dare you?" Harley pointed her finger at his face.

"I'll take care of the transport." Fury interrupted the discussion. "I'll have agent Hill send a small and hard to trace jet so you can both go home in safety."

"See? Problem solved." Stark smiled, cocky.

"You're a jerk, Stark! Everything is a joke to you!" Harley said, walking away from the two man.

"Yeah, I'm a real joker. I thought you liked jokes." Stark said, without realizing.

Harley stopped. She turned around and punched Stark in the face, thanks to her quick reflexes he wasn't able to dodge.

"Okay, enough is enough!" Fury yelled, separating both of them. "It's more than time for you both to realize what's really going on! We have an invisible threat to stop, so stop acting like damn kids for once!" He yelled.

Harley felt like she was being yelled at by a teacher in pre-school. She walked away without saying a word, going to join James on the bench again.

"By the way, you deserved that." Fury said to Stark before going to communicate with Hill.

* * *

"Take care, both of you." Steve said, giving Harley and Bucky a hug. "I'll contact you as soon as I can."

"You too, Steve." Bucky retuned the hug. "For this war I'm not ready. But you are, as always." He smiled.

They said goodbye to the rest of the team and embarked the jet, urging to go home and finally get some peace of mind.

"Thanks for agreeing to spending the night here with me." Harley said, unlocking her apartment door.

"It's always a pleasure." He winked at her, amused.

"I really think I should move." She said, staring at the living room. The Joker card was still placed at her table.

"I thought you got rid of this." Bucky said, looking at the card.

"I'm planning to. It's just… I got one just like it when I was his doctor. It was mailed to my apartment along with a red rose." She admitted.

"Yes, very romantic." Bucky said, rude.

"This is hard for me, James." She replied.

"I know something else that's hard." He said, getting close to her. "Do you want me to take you to the bedroom to find out?" He gave her a malicious smile.

"You dirty bastard." She smiled, kissing his lips as he lifted her and took her to the bedroom for a long session of "forgetting".


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's Note: First of all, I would like to apologize for staying away for a while. I was involved in some other things, but now I finally have time to write! Also, after watching the "Civil War" trailer about a thousand times, I had several ideas for the story. Sadly, I'll have to wait until the movie is out to continue a huge portion of the story, but don't worry, I'm already working on a new one. It's going to be linked to "Madness Can Set Us Free", so that means it's a '_ _predecessor'. Well, enough talk, let's get back to the story._

* * *

 **CHAPTER 15: Nothing Lasts Forever**

The following weeks were, perhaps, one of the happiest of Harley's life. She was having the time of her life, finally being able to experience what the word 'love' really meant. Yes, _love_. As much as she refused to accept it, or tried her best to avoid it, she couldn't pretend anymore; she loved James like she had never loved anyone before.

"Can I say something?" James asked one night, holding Harley's naked body tightly against his chest.

"Sure, anything." She replied, staring at his face.

"All the horrible things happened to me… If I knew it would bring you to me, I would go through everything all over again." He said, soft, caressing her face.

"Dido." She smiled, giving him a passionate kiss.

As the days went on, some concerns were starting to appear. They haven't heard from Sam in a while, he only told them he was involved in a secret project having to do with the V.A. Neither Bucky nor Harley believed him, but there was no argument there; Bucky was now living with Harley due to Sam's absence. They would always take extra care while walking on the streets, making sure to keep Bucky as invisible as possible, following Steve's recommendations. Last time Bucky spoke to his best friend, Harley noticed he was bothered by something. She tried to ask him about it, but Bucky would change the subject.

"What are they saying on the news, baby?" Harley asked, sitting on the couch beside Bucky. It was late at night; they were both tired of the long day.

"Not much really, nothing that we haven't heard of." Bucky answered, placing his hand on Harley's leg.

"I just hope this is finally over. Do you think they're okay?" She asked, concerned.

"If they weren't, we would know, trust me honey." He gave her a quick kiss. They have been following the news about the whole battle between the Avengers and Ultron's army of robots.

"I still can't believe that wacko tried to turn a whole city into a meteor." Harley sighed. "Ya know, I thought Gotham was full of wierdos, but I guess it's not a complete madhouse after all.

"I think the world is a huge asylum. We are all a little weird, aren't we?" Bucky said, smiling at Harley.

"Yeah, we are all a little crazy." Harley smiled back, laying on Bucky's lap. "Do ya mind if I take a nap?"

"Not at all, sweetie." He replied caressing the top of her head as Harley shut her eyes, smiling from ear to ear.

After a few minutes, making sure Harley was deep asleep, Bucky got up and decided to occupy his mind with something. He was really worried about what Steve said, that Ultron had infiltrated almost every top-secret information concerning both SHIELD and HYDRA. He didn't want to tell Harley, but he knew something was off. The fact that he was responsible for several deaths, both in the past and present, were going to bring him problems for sure. He looked at the trashcan and found the perfect excuse to go grab some fresh air.

* * *

The van had been parked outside of the building for over two hours. There was no sign of movement and the men inside were already growing impatient. If it were their way, they would simply break through the door, shoot the lovebirds in the head, put them in a bag and place them at the boss's feet. But, since they were following orders, if anything went wrong it could cost their lives.

When the men were deciding to call it a night, they noticed the front door had opened and a figure holding a trash bag walked out. They took a closer look and by the description they were given, it had to be the guy they were looking for.

"Okay, all of you, chill the hell out. We can do this." One man said to the others, starting to feel the tension.

"Chill out? You remember the footage the boss showed us!? The guy has a freaking metal arm!" The other thug said, nervous.

"If we don't do this, we are dead! I much rather get punched in the face by that metal fist than be fed to the other guys like Joe was!" The first thug replied, cringing.

"Okay, let's do this." A third thug said, opening slowly the door of the van, leading the rest of the guys outside. They all had guns, knives and some even had baseball bats. They were ready to take down the guy with the metal arm, who was distracted with the dumpster, before heading upstairs to go get their main target.

* * *

Harley woke up in the middle of the night, noticing James's absence. She looked at the clock and saw it was nearly 3am. She headed towards the bedroom, doubting that he would have gotten to bed without her. Entering the room, Harley concluded she was right; there was no sign of him, nor in the bedroom or any other room in the apartment.

She started to get nervous, it wasn't like him to disappear on her like that. Harley tried to call the cellphone they had bought for him, but the device started to ring on the table. Wherever he went, it couldn't be far. Harley grabbed a coat and was already walking towards the entrance door when someone started knocking. Harley was so desperate she didn't even looked through the eyehole first, hoping it would be Bucky.

"You are late Soldier…" Harley froze immediately when she saw the number of masked men standing outside of her door. "Who are you?" She asked, perplexed.

"This can be either hard or easy, it depends on you, sweet cakes." One of them spoke, his voice muffled because of the mask.

"What do ya want?" Harley asked, trying to sound calm.

"We are gonna take you for a ride, sweetie." The other one said, glaring at her.

"And what makes ya all think that I am going anywhere with you?" She asked, looking at all the strange men.

"We are not allowed to tell you. It would spoil the surprise!" The first one answered, an amused tone in his voice.

"What the hell are ya all talking about?" Harley widened her eyes, punching the guy in the face before the others could interfere. They grabbed her, putting a fabric over her mouth. Harley tried not to breathe the substance, but it was too strong. She was passed out before even realizing.

* * *

"Wake up, princess!" Harley heard as a bucket of cold water was poured over her.

"What the hell?!" She yelled, scared. She was tied to a chair so firmly that it was hard to breathe.

"Yeah, that's right sweetie. Hell… it's what's waiting for you just behind that door." The thug, now unmasked, pointed at a distant corner of the room, behind Harley's head.

"Where am I?" Harley yelled.

"In time, honey." The thug answered, lowering himself so he could look into her eyes. "Damn, it's a shame we don't get to play with you." He said, grabbing her face. "You sure are a nice piece of ass, ain't ya?" He looked over his shoulder for a moment. "But since we are both alone in here, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try, right?" He said, getting up.

"Are you crazy?" The other thug came in a hurry, grabbing the man. "Do you wanna get killed?"

"He's not even here right now. Come on, don't act like you don't want it." The man smiled, looking at his friend.

"Nah, man. As tempting as it is, I wouldn't risk my life for it." The man said, standing back.

"Screw you, then. More for me, anyways." The other one said, getting closer to Harley.

"Stay back, ya creep!" Harley yelled, trying in vain to move her body. As the man approached her face, a gunshot echoed through the room.

Harley closed her eyes immediately, scared by the noise. When she opened them, she saw the man lying on the ground, still alive but in agonizing pain.

"Shit!" The other guy yelled, staring terrified at one point of the room, before getting shot as well. Harley wanted to follow his eyes, but the scary thing was behind her.

"I thought I had made myself clear when I said 'forbidden territory'." She heard a familiar voice coming from the door the thug was pointing at earlier. Harley closed her eyes again; a cold shiver down her spine, her throat was already starting to give a knot. She heard the sound of footsteps approaching her.

"Sorry for that, it wasn't how I was planning on welcoming you back, _pumpkin!"_ The last word was pronounced louder than the others, when Harley opened her eyes he was already standing in front of her, a wicked smile on his face.

"No." She whispered, not being able to move her eyes away from his. "This is not real. This is another hallucination!" She looked away, desperate.

"Oh, don't worry, toots!" The Joker said, moving away from her. "I'll give you a little pinch."

"How is this possible? I shot you, I saw you die, you fucking bastard!" Harley yelled. He had his back turned on her, apparently grabbing something to hurt her with. She didn't care about her pain right now, she needed to know what was going on.

"I'll explain everything, toots." He said, still turned from her. The man on the ground started to shiver, the color disappearing from his face. "But we have more important business to take care of."

"You won't get away with this!" Harley shouted. "People will come look for me, ya'll see!"

"Are you sure, pumpkin?" He turned around to face her, holding something in his hand. "I already know the answer to my question, I'm just making sure you do as well." He approached her, the instrument in his hand now visible.

"No!" Harley widened her eyes, staring desperately at the brand, already imagining what was coming. It had the letter "J" at the end, glowing bright, ready to be used.

"I figured, Harley…" The Joker said, lifting Harley's shirt up so that her belly was shown. "That since you like your two "J's" so much…" Harley's heart jumped; he knew about James. That could only mean one thing. "You could make room for a third one." He said, burying the brand deep against Harley's skin.

The pain was agonizing. Harley yelled, tears flowing from her eyes. She couldn't move, and the pain only got worse as the brand burned deeply through her skin. After what felt like an eternity, the Joker removed the brand from her belly. Harley was almost passed out from the pain, getting even harder to breathe.

"And now, honey, let's have our little chat." He grabbed a chair and sat across from her, putting his hands on her knees. "Look at me!" He said, lifting her chin.

"Fuck you." Harley said, weak.

"Later, toots. Now… where do we begin?" He looked up, amused. "Oh yeah, the gunshot. You were a remarkable shooter toots, I really don't know what the hell happened to your aim. Since the bullet never hit me and the Bat decided to save your life instead of mine…" He said, full of resent. "I took off as soon as he jumped out of the window and detonated the explosives I had planted there days before."

"You were planning on killing us…all, weren't ya?" Harley looked at him. "Ya sick bastard." She was disgusted, but the pain was too much.

"And now, toots." The Joker said, raising from the chair. "It's time for your homecoming gift." He pushed Harley's chair towards the door. The room was really dark, but she could hear a muffled voice coming from a corner. When the Joker turned on the lights, Harley's heart finally sank.

"No!" She yelled, crying. There was James, trapped to the same damn chair from the abandoned bank, a tape over his mouth. That nightmare was far from ending.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16: Open Wounds**

"Please! Don't hurt him, please!" Harley begged, desperate. "It's me that you want, not him! So take me!" The pain was still unbearable from the burning and it got worse as she raised her voice, but Harley didn't care.

Bucky started to move even more aggressively on the chair to Harley's words. He would die before letting her get hurt by that psychopath.

"Oh toots, I though you knew me. You do remember how I hate to have my treasures taken from me. Especially for _personal use._ " He yelled, punching Bucky on the stomach.

"Stop!" Harley yelled again when Bucky made a loud noise from the pain.

"Why stop now, cupcake?" The Joker smiled. "The party is just getting started!" He turned to hit Bucky again but Harley was faster.

"The chair!" She said, hoping to distract him even for just a couple of minutes. "How do you have it?"

"Oh, that devoted man, the one I sent to your apartment the other day." He smirked at her.

"I knew it. He was talking as if he didn't know you are alive." Harley said, disgusted.

"He obviously didn't want to ruin the surprise party I'm holding for you right now!" The Joker opened his arms, displaying an invisible source of fun. "A couple of days before I sent him to you, he infiltrated me inside of that bank. It took less than 15 minutes to clear the place and bring this amazing device here." He tapped the chair, making Bucky's muscles tense. "By the way, what happened to him?" The Joker asked, changing his tone to a curious one.

"I carved up his face and body, then James dumped his damn corpse in a cement factory." Harley replied, intimidating.

"Oh, nice one, toots!" The Joker clapped. "You know what they say… Old habits and stuff." He removed the gun from his belt and started to wave it around, tempted to use it. "And now, for the gran finale!" He pointed the gun at Bucky's head.

"NO, WAIT!" Harley screamed. "Let's talk this through, please! Ya don't have to do this, _pudding!_ "

It worked. The moment The Joker heard that familiar nickname coming out of Harley's mouth he lowered the gun in distraction. At that point, Bucky had already broken the metal holders, removed the tape from his mouth and was grabbing the clown by the neck. The gun was dropped near Harley's chair.

"I can't reach it!" Harley said, struggling to move.

"That won't be necessary!" Bucky said, tightening up the grip on The Joker's neck.

"No!" Harley yelled.

"What do you mean 'no?" Bucky asked, shocked.

"I'll do it!" She replied, bitter. "He deserves to suffer for what he's done! To me, to everyone!"

"That's the spirit, cupcake." The Joker said with struggle.

"Shut up, you crazy fuck!" Bucky said, punching him on the face. A few teeth flew from the clown mouth.

" **HAHAHAHAHAHA!** " He laughed, amused. "Quite the type you found Harl, very manly!"

"Do you want me to break something else?" Bucky asked, tempted to snap the clown's neck.

"Untie me, James." Harley said. "I have some unfinished business to attend to."

Bucky dropped the clown. He knew he would be too weak to get up and attack them from the back.

"How are you feeling, baby?" Bucky asked, worried. "Oh my God… What's that?" He widened his eyes to the huge 'J' incrusted in Harley's skin.

"JAMES, LOOK OUT!" Harley screamed but it was too late. The gunshots were even louder than the last one and got Bucky off guard. They hit him on the back, causing him to collapse.

"Always be prepared, as my father used to say." The Joker smiled, his mouth covered in blood. "Not a bad idea having two guns, cupcake." He winked at Harley. "Oh, what a mess. Well, it will still work." He grabbed Bucky's unconscious body with an impressive ease and put him back on the chair. "Now, before we erase every single trace of you from his mind, do you have any last words?" The Joker held Bucky's head up as he smiled wickedly at Harley.

Harley didn't even had the time to protest when the shock waves were being send to Bucky's temples. She moved ferociously on the chair until it collapsed. Her head hit hard against the floor, knocking her out. What followed was a loud sound, a door being slammed and several screams. Then, everything turned black.

* * *

Harley opened her eyes slowly, getting them used to the brightness of the room. She noticed she was lying down on a bed. Was all that just a terrible nightmare? She turned to the side, hoping to see James deep asleep. There was someone there, but it wasn't Bucky who was standing by the bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, calm.

"W-What are ya doing here? Where's James?" Harley asked, starting to get anxious by that presence.

"You didn't answer my question, Harleen." Although still calm, he was also demanding.

"I'm not okay, Bat-Brain." She answered, irritated. "Where's James?" She asked again, louder this time.

"The doctors will like to know you woke up." He said, heading for the door. "We'll talk about what happened later."

"Stop ignoring me, Bats!" She yelled.

"I said later." That tone caused Harley to shut up immediately. The Batman merely turned around and left the room, leaving a terrified and confused Harley behind.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_ I know it's not much, but I'm already working on the progress. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning the story, still have many more things to add. The only bummer is that I'll have to wait until Civil War for the additional crucial details. Until then, I'll post my new story, predecessor of "Madness Can Set Us Free".


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17: What Do Desperate Times Call For?**

"This will prevent the tissue from loosening. It's very damaged, but we'll manage to take care of it, don't you worry, Miss Hogue." The smiling blonde nurse said as she applied an ointment on Harley's skin. Batman had delivered all of Harley's false documents so she could be registered in the hospital without concern. Fury's courtesy and, of course, top-secret information.

"When is he coming back?" Harley asked, not in the mood for appreciation. It was already nighttime and still no sign from him since the night she woke up.

"Who?" The nurse asked, confused.

"Don't play dumb with me, toots. The Bat, who else?" Harley replied, rude.

"Well, I don't really know, Miss Hogue. But I'm sure he'll be here soon." The nurse said, nervous, preparing to leave the room. "Do you need anything else before I leave?"

"I need to talk to Batman. That's the only thing I need right now!" Harley gritted her teeth, furious about the whole situation. She was clueless about everything; she didn't know where James was, if The Joker was arrested, dead, or worse, free to look for her again.

"The minute he arrives I'll send him straight to this room, Miss Hogue, don't you worry about… Ah!" The nurse exclaimed when she turned around and the dark figure was standing in front of her. "Oh, you scared me, sir." She said, embarrassed, "I- I'll leave you two alone. Excuse me." She closed the door behind her and left the two sworn enemies staring at each other.

"That's a severe wound." Batman said, studying Harley's burn from a distance.

"A little home-coming gift, along with many other surprises." Harley answered, sarcastic, pulling the shirt down. "Are ya gonna tell me where James is or are ya enjoying watching me dying of worry bit by bit?"

"James is safe. He's with me."

Harley widened her eyes. "Where? When is he coming to see me?"

"I don't believe that is going to happen." Batman answered.

"What do ya mean 'not gonna happen?'" Harley sat up on the bed, ignoring the twinge of pain in her belly. "He remembers me, right?"

"He's not well enough yet. He's still very confused and very angry. We're working on things slowly."

"May I remind you that _I_ am the one who treats the damaged minds around here?" Harley asked, furious.

"And look where that got you." Batman replied, emotionless.

"Don't you dare say that to me!" Harley yelled. "Who do ya think you are? You don't know what it was like!"

"You should be focusing on your recovery and the fact that you are out of danger." Batman said, ignoring Harley's fury attack.

"Yeah? And for how long? As soon as I set a foot out of this hospital, I'll be dead! _He_ knows who I am now, he knows about every little lie and disguise that SHIELD provided me!" She said, her heart racing. "What if he tells everybody, huh? I'll be back in that Asylum before I know it!"

Batman suddenly became even more serious. "You won't have to worry about that for now."

"Yeah, sure, I'll sleep better at night." She rolled her eyes, sighing. "Can you at least tell me where James is?" She left the sarcastic attitude aside. "Please?"

"No, Harleen. I cant'." He turned around and headed for the door. "You need to rest. I'll keep in touch." He disappeared in the darkness of the hallway before Harley could blink.

* * *

"How long do I have to say here?" His voice echoed through the walls of the cold cave. The sound of the bats above their heads filled up the silence.

"Until I say so." Batman answered.

"What makes you think that I'll follow your orders?" Bucky asked, annoyed. "I don't even know you!"

"Nobody knows me. You know just enough."

"Tell me again why can't I see her?" Bucky rose from the chair. "We are together! She needs me!"

"We'll need to talk about what happened first." Batman sat on the chair across from Bucky, suggesting that he would do the same. "It was a very complicated situation and I'll need to clarify what happened, exactly."

"Complicated?" Bucky rose his eyebrows. "It was a fucking nightmare!" He sat back on the chair. "I've never been more scared in my life! I couldn't care less about what would happen to me as long as she was safe! But what do I see when I get near her? A giant burn mark incrusted deep in her skin!"

"The hospital is taking care of her wounds." Batman replied, vague.

"What about her psychological wounds? She's scarred for life, literally!" He banged his metal hand on the table, making a loud noise. Batman didn't even move. "I wish I could replay that moment. Just so I could kill that son of a bitch over and over again!"

"You've killed him once. That's enough for me." Batman answered, slightly unsettled.

"Took a huge burden from your shoulders, too. You're welcome."

"What you did doesn't make you better than him. The number of killers in the planet remains the same."

"Oh, because you are the Messiah in person?" Bucky mocked, furious. "You would end up in a blind alley anyway. I just did what you would have to do one day, eventually."

"You don't know that. And now we never will." Batman replied, bitter.

"Why don't you just light up a candle and pray for his soul while you're at it?" Bucky let out, angry. "And why is his body here?"

"It will stay here to prevent any kind of speculation and, obviously, vandalism against the corpse. He was not a very popular man among Gotham citizens." Batman said, as if the answer was obvious.

"Then why keep it a secret? Won't people be glad to hear that this maniac is finally dead?" Bucky asked. "You can put the blame on me if that's the issue."

"Absolutely not." Batman said calm, but final. "Everything that happened that night will remain in the shadows. Remember that your friends from SHIELD are also involved in this."

"What about Harley?" Bucky started again, impatient, "You haven't mentioned her to no one at SHIELD except from Fury, not even to Steve."

"I told the necessary only to the person that mattered." Batman sighed. "As for Harleen, I want to keep checking on her progress before we make a decision. We don't know yet if her encounter with him had a negative effect upon her personality. In the meantime, you'll stay right here."

"She is completely sane and cured from that lunatic, I can assure you that. And what decision?" Bucky rose from his seat. "There is no decision here; I'll take her out of that hospital and we we'll continue where we left off! I'm not leaving her and no one, including you, will get in the way of that!"

"Save your breath for when it's necessary." Batman said, also rising from his seat. "I'll send down your dinner in a while. This is for your own good."

* * *

"How can you not know where they are?" Steve asked, in panic.

"Rogers, the situation here is very delicate. If I knew where they were, I would tell you." Fury answered, sitting on the couch. "And may I remind you that me being here is a huge risk for both of us." He looked around Steve's apartment.

"It's better in here than in Sam's place." Steve continued. "Can't you even track them down, try to find the least bit of trail they might have left?"

"I already told you that I can't, Rogers." Fury sighed. "And if you ask me, I think your friend did the right thing. They went off to live their own lives where nobody would bother them. End of story."

"Bucky would never do that without telling me about it. He'd know I would worry about him and try to find them at all costs." The Captain couldn't believe in that absurd theory that Fury had come up with.

"There's more at stake here right now than your friends whereabouts." Fury rose from the couch, heading for the door. "I'll need to calm things down after Sokovia. And you... you need to rest. Try it for once. And don't do anything reckless, Rogers, I'm giving you a friendly advice here!" Fury headed for the door, opening it and looking around before disappearing into the dark hallway.

* * *

Bucky was beyond himself. It was unbearable to be left alone with his thoughts in that dark cave. Every time he remembered Harley his body shivered with terror. He walked around the cave, trying in vain to occupy his mind with something else. He came across a large drawer that could fit a body in it. He knew who was inside, yet he wanted to look at the maniac's face one last time before banishing him from his life, hopefully forever. Bucky made a huge effort to pull out the drawer, and when it finally opened, his body froze.

"Shit."

* * *

"Why is it taking so long? It never took this much time before!" Harley said, impatient, lying down while the doctors were examining her body and fluids.

"We need to make sure everything is in order before considering your release, Miss Hogue." The elder doctor, named Harris, replied. "Alright, we're done! Lilly, could you print the exams and deliver them to my office as soon as possible?"

"Of course, doctor." The blonde nurse said, exiting the room.

"Finally, that lasted a lifetime!" Harley yelled.

"Everything we're doing here is for your sake, Miss Hogue." Dr. Harris said, smiling.

"Why bother? It's not like I deserve anyways." Harley spoke more to herself than anyone else, but she knew the doctor heard her.

"I'll let you get dressed and get some rest. I'll see you later to talk about the exams." Dr. Harris announced, also exiting the room.

"Oh, by the way doc, there's something wrong with the food in here! It's the second time I throw up today!" Harley yelled but the doctor was already gone.

* * *

Lilly had just finished printing the paperwork, getting them ready to deliver to Dr. Harris's office. Alone in the computer room she started to wonder if she was the only one who knew that there was a dangerous criminal being treated at the hospital. Lilly wasn't stupid, she could tell from a distance that her patient was once a lunatic who dressed up as a clown girl terrorizing the city. Her pictures had been in the newspapers plenty of times to people recognize it. Also, the fact that Batman had a particular interest in the patient was a major clue, but Lilly decided to keep quiet. It was hard to admit, but it was difficult not to feel bad for the girl, after all she had been through, deserving it or not. As the papers were piling up outside of the printer, Lilly noticed something curious about the top page, so she decided to give it a look. Her eyes widened at those words, feeling even more sorry for the former clown girl.

"You're Claire's nurse." A voice coming from the door made her jump.

"Jesus, it's the second time you scare me, sir!" Lilly said, looking at the man dressed up as a bat. "Yes, I'm Miss Hogue's nurse, yes. Why?" She asked, nervous.

"You know. Plenty." He said, not changing his expression.

"Know w-what, exactly?" Lilly was trembling.

"Don't try it. May I trust that you will not tell anyone until the time comes?" Batman wasn't asking, that was a demand.

"The time comes? What do you mean?" Lilly inquired.

"She'll need to be moved from here as soon as she's feeling better." Batman answered, approaching the nurse.

"You can't put her back in that place! It would be inhumane, please don't send her back to the Asylum!" Lilly pledged, desperate.

"Why not? She needs to be put under surveillance. It'll be for her own good; she's not safe in here." He said, final.

"No, no, you don't understand! Please, anywhere, but there!" Lilly handed the exam paper to Batman. "Read this. I'm sure you'll change your mind."

* * *

The loud noises coming from the cave were a bad signal. Batman quickly came out of his vehicle, being surprised by a nervous Alfred.

"You should be down here, Alfred. It isn't safe." Batman said, walking towards the noises.

"I know sir, but he's completely out of control!" Alfred said, trying to maintain his posture.

They came across Bucky throwing drawers and files in the air, kicking furniture and yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Stay here." Batman told Alfred, approaching James. "Stop it now or I'll make you."

Bucky turned to face Batman, his expression as if ready to kill. Within seconds, he was throwing himself against the Caped Crusader.

"You son of a bitch!" Bucky yelled, trying to hit Batman, in vain. "You lying son of a bitch!"

Batman immobilized him on the floor, using an effective technique learned from his training. "Stay down. We need to talk."

"You told me I killed him! I believed you! Why isn't his body there? Where is he?" James kept yelling, desperate.

"He isn't dead. I lied, But now I need your help. I need to move Harleen from the hospital to a secure place." Batman said, struggling to keep Bucky still.

"He's probably at the hospital right now, you fucking idiot!" James yelled.

"No he isn't. I just got back from the hospital. I know you won't like this, but I need you to step out of the way, and that means, away from Harleen's life as well. It'll be for her own protection, I can guarantee you that." Batman said.

"What?" James rose up, facing the Bat. "Just give me one good reason to step out of the life of the woman that I love, especially now?" James stared at Batman, burning inside.

"She's pregnant."


End file.
